Cabays Media:-

Thousands of illegal Ethiopian immigrants as well as other nationals, including those from Somalia proper face deportation in Somaliland as some try to use Somaliland as a transit route to Saudi Arabia via the Red Sea.

Somaliland’s immigration officials confirmed that more than a thousand illegal Ethiopians were rounded up in various cities and towns across the country. In the outskirts of the eastern town of Ainabo more than three hundred illegal Ethiopians trying to use the town as a transit route were caught in a makeshift camp illegally set up for Ethiopian migrants wanting to go to Somalia’s Puntland region which is the hub of illegal migration businesses.

The Somaliland army in the Sool region were ordered to round up hundreds of Ethiopians transiting through the region and while another 15o Ethiopians voluntarily agreed to returned to their country on Wednesday.

In Burao, Somaliland’s second largest city, an Ethiopian man was arrested last week  after he was accused of killing a four year old girl and sucking her blood out alive. The news of Ethiopian man eating a young girl shocked the nation and calls to deal with the Ethiopian immigrants increased.

The people in Somaliland believe that there are some Ethiopian cannibals in country and horror stories of kids stolen and eaten by cannibals are dominating talk of every town.

The Burao police commissioner said the man attacked the young girl in a home in the city’s rural area while she and her older brother were home alone and used wood chopper to cut her neck to bleed her,  and as a result she sustained massive cuts to her vital arteries made her bleed badly and died after that.

The police said the man was caught with fresh blood in his mouth and his clothes covered with blood stains and he is in the Burao’s central prison for further investigation.

The Somaliland police and immigration forces rounding up illegal foreigners  is widely welcomed as immigrant influx in Somaliland from its giant neighbour is to blame on spreading diseases and increasing the crime rate in Somaliland.

However, the Somaliland’s interior minister said the main reason they are deporting illegal immigrants is because of the voting registration process started in Somaliland for the next year’s elections and the government wants make sure that only Somaliland citizens are registered and to prevent foreigners disturbing the country’s security.

The head of immigration force at the border town with Ethiopia, Wajaale of Gabiley region has confirmed that more than 1144 Ethiopians were sent back to their country. 727 of the 1144 were rounded up in three towns from east to west of Somaliland, while 343 others voluntarily gave themselves up and asked help for transporting back to their country.

“In the last 48 hours we have sent back 1144 of illegal Ethiopians and we will continue to round up all illegal people in Somaliland and send back to their country as this will help to maintain the security” Said head of Somaliland’s immigration force in Wajaale explaining how the illegal immigrant crackdown is intensifying.

This is first time the Somaliland government turned its words of expelling illegal immigrants into action as in the past it said all illegal immigrants to leave but took no action.

Cabays Media

Hargeisa, Somaliland

Follow