Uganda has repatriated 17 Ethiopian girls rescued from human traffickers in the capital, Kampala.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uganda, Simon Mundeyi, told reporters that officials handed over the girls to Ethiopian immigration officers at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on Monday.
“They were removed from the country legally and were accompanied by our immigration officers. Human trafficking is a transnational crime that we invite everyone to fight,” Mundeyi said at the weekly security press briefing.
The immigration department has reported that Uganda has been used as a pathway by human traffickers in recent times.
In April 2021, Ugandan authorities rescued over 40 Burundian girls, and five individuals were arrested for their involvement in human trafficking within the country.
