56 Ethiopians arrested
Security agents in the Northern Region have arrested 56 Ethiopians who allegedly entered the country without travel documents.
The suspected illegal immigrants were nabbed alongside two Malawians who have since been charged with aiding and abetting the foreigners.
This is the fourth time police and immigration officers have arrested illegal immigrants from the Horn of Africa this year.
The groups from Ethiopia and Somalia often gain entry using the northern border between Malawi and Tanzania often described as porous.
The 56 and their suspected guides were captured travelling in a lorry from Karonga.
“When they realised that they were being trailed, driver Emmanuel Ng’ambi, 36, diverted the lorry from the M1 Road towards Engucwini. He later stopped the vehicle and escaped, leaving his assistant Maulidi Chinthaka, 25, and the Ethiopians behind,” said Northern Region Police deputy spokesperson Maurice Chapola.
The two Malawians, who come from Kalonga in Salima, have also been charged with human trafficking.
They were using a Mitsubishi Fuso Fighter, registration SA 47.
