South Africa police rescues nearly 100 Ethiopian migrants

Ethiopian migrants totalling 90 who were being held against their will at a property in Johannesburg have been rescued, South African police said.

An initial search at the property on Sunday for a person reported to have been kidnapped led to the rescue of the migrants. Two people were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking. The alleged kidnapping victim was also rescued, police said Monday.

The Ethiopian migrants, who were packed into small rooms and kept locked up, are believed to have been illegally trafficked, police said.

Meanwhile, they have been taken to a hospital for medical care and the two suspects will face charges in court.

Authorities, including Interpol, have raised concerns over the trafficking of Ethiopian migrants through several southern African countries in an attempt to ultimately reach South Africa. The migrants are often trafficked and kept in dangerous conditions.

In 2020, at least 64 people from Ethiopia were found dead inside a freight container in Mozambique. In 2022, the bodies of 30 Ethiopian migrants were found in a mass grave in Malawi. That same year, the bodies of 27 Ethiopian men were found dumped in Zambia.