BOSASO (Kaab TV) – Puntland police say they have arrested 320 Ethiopian migrants who were attempting to enter the coastal city of Bosaso in the Bari region illegally on Saturday.
According to Bari Regional Police Commander Said Adan Said, the migrants, who belong to Ethiopia’s Oromo ethnic group, were being transported in two cargo trucks.
Commander Siciid stated that the migrants will be returned to Ethiopia once their identity is verified.
He also warned that, going forward, the government will confiscate any vehicles caught transporting illegal migrants into Bosaso and other parts of Puntland.
Thousands of Ethiopian migrants are currently living in Puntland regions, despite repeated government pledges to deport undocumented migrants from the area.
Thousands of Ethiopian migrants continue to travel through Somalia’s Puntland region each year, using coastal towns such as Bosaso as departure points to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen before attempting to reach Saudi Arabia in search of jobs and better living conditions.
Poverty, conflict, and drought as well as the activities of human smuggling networks are among the main factors driving the dangerous migration route.
The journey has claimed the lives of many migrants over the years, with boats frequently capsizing in rough seas between Puntland and Yemen.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has repeatedly recorded deaths and disappearances along the route, warning that migrants also face trafficking, abuse, kidnapping, and harsh conditions during the journey through Yemen toward Saudi Arabia.