Ethiopian authorities have announced the arrest of Yitbarek Dawit, also known as Kibrom, a notorious ringleader of a sprawling international human tra
Ethiopian authorities have announced the arrest of Yitbarek Dawit, also known as Kibrom, a notorious ringleader of a sprawling international human trafficking network.
The suspect was apprehended in a targeted operation in Shire, a town in the northern Tigray region, alongside nine accomplices.
Dawit, who had been a fugitive for several years, reportedly used a variety of aliases across Africa and Europe—including “Adhanom” in Sudan and “Munir” in Kenya—to evade law enforcement while orchestrating a criminal enterprise that generated more than 3 billion Birr ($19 million).
The network is accused of trafficking more than 3,000 migrants since 2018, primarily young people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, and other East African nations.
Victims were lured with false promises of a better life in Europe but were instead transported to detention warehouses in Libya.
According to police investigations and testimonies from over 100 survivors, these migrants were held in inhumane conditions and subjected to extreme torture, including beatings with electric wires and being burned with melted plastic, to coerce their families into paying hefty ransoms.
The operation has been linked to the deaths of at least 100 people and the sexual abuse of more than 50 women.
The successful arrest followed a complex, cross-border investigation supported by the Regional Operational Centre (ROCK), an EU-funded initiative dedicated to dismantling smuggling networks in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopian federal police, in coordination with national intelligence services and international partners, used advanced technology to track Dawit’s movements and financial transactions.
Following the crackdown, authorities have secured court orders to freeze bank accounts and seize properties tied to the syndicate as the case moves to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.
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