200 Illegal Migrants Nabbed at Somaliland’s Wajale Border Crossing
More than two hundred mainly young men trying to cross into Somaliland from Ethiopia for possible further migration to Europe or Middle East were rounded up at Somaliland’s busiest crossing Wajaale border with Ethiopia today.
According to Somaliland’s immigration official at at Wajaale post, these would-be-emigrants were led to Somaliland’d Wajaale town as their crossing point into Somaliland hoping to easily slip into Somaliland and beyond.
“There are Ethiopian immigrants consisting all kind of ethnics and they were trying to cross into Somaliland for further migration to other countries or in search of jobs, or doing street begging in Somaliland” Said Somaliland’s Wajaale town mayor, Abdiaziz Saleban who explained the number of immigrants crossed into Somaliland and their situations.
The Wajaale police commander, Kayse Suudi also talked about the potential risks post these Ethiopian immigrants to Somaliland.
“I want to thank the police deputy commander and the immigration department officers for halting these illegal immigrants who post risk and crisis for Somaliland” Said police commander Kayse Suudi.
The commander chief of Somaliland’s immigration force in Wajaale also warned for those Somaliland citizens who are illegally assisting illegal immigrants by charging extortion money to smuggle them into Somaliland as an escape route to other countries across the Red Sea.
“Today we have here more than 200 Ethiopian immigrants (smuggled into Somaliland) and I’m warning those of Somaliland nationals who are charging money these people and smuggling into Somaliland” Said Somaliland top commander of immigration forces in Wajaale, Abdirahsid Haji Ahmed who blamed Somalilanders for leading Ethiopian illegal immigrants into Somaliland for exploitation.
Somaliland’s Wajaale border crossing is the busiest crossing point between Ethiopia and Somaliland where millions of goods are also both illegally and legally export and import. Wajaale is also consider Somaliland free market where Ethiopian businessmen connected to the top leaders of both military and government officials buy goods and transport directly to Ethiopian’s western regions for good sales and quick profit.
Somaliland estimates that around more than a million people also cross the border between the two countries busiest border crossing every year, but this is the first time Somaliland has witnessed such hug influx of Ethiopian immigrants trying to cross the border in one single day.
The current tension in the Oromia regions in the heart of Ethiopia is expected to increase the number of young Ethiopian men trying to crossing into Somaliland as Ethiopia’s federalism based on ethnic lines is turning the country into rivalry between distrusting ethnic groups.
Somaliland has a border line with Ethiopia that stretches for more than four hundred kilometres and that border is with Ethiopian’s Somali region which is considered the most peaceful border in the Horn of Africa.
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