Seven Somali Migrants found concealed in rice sacks during Zambia border interception

The Zambian government says it has arrested seven Somali nationals who were traveling inside a cargo vehicle en route to Zimbabwe.

The Zambian Revenue Authority confirmed that the men were found concealed in sacks of rice while being smuggled across the border.

According to Oliver Nzala, the authority’s general public relations manager, the vehicle a Toyota Probox was stopped in the town of Kapiri Mposhi. He said it was reportedly heading toward the Chirundu border area between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Nzala explained that during the inspection, officials discovered seven people hidden inside the rice sacks, with the migrants covered by the bags.

He added that the driver and the seven Somali migrants were handed over to the Department of Immigration, where investigations are ongoing.

Authorities noted that Zambia is a transit route for smuggling networks moving migrants from the Horn of Africa toward South Africa. They said many smugglers use cargo vehicles to bypass checkpoints.

Many migrants from the Horn of Africa also attempt the dangerous journey through Libya, where human rights organizations have documented widespread abuse, including arbitrary detention, torture, extortion, forced labor, and sexual violence by traffickers and armed groups.

Those who continue across the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe face one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), thousands of migrants have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean over the past decade, with hundreds to more than a thousand fatalities recorded in some recent years as overcrowded and unseaworthy boats sink during the crossing.

Mustaqbal