Ethiopian federal police arrested 17 suspects accused of operating a human trafficking network linked to the deaths of more than 60 migrants and the sexual assault of multiple women, authorities announced.

The arrests highlight the severe humanitarian and security crisis plaguing Horn of Africa migration routes, where organized syndicates exploit vulnerable individuals attempting to reach Saudi Arabia through Djibouti and war-torn Yemen.

According to federal police, the syndicate was led by Mohammed Tahir Aden, also known as Werdi. Investigators state that the network illegally smuggled more than 40,000 people and extorted over 1 billion birr from victims.

Migrants were reportedly gathered from various regions across Ethiopia through brokers, promised a better life, and directed through eastern Ethiopia into Yemen. Once across the border, victims were allegedly detained in specialized warehouses and subjected to severe abuses.

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Jaylan Abdi, head of the Federal Police Media and Communication Division, told the BBC that the operation to apprehend the suspects spanned the previous 15 days. The arrests were conducted across multiple locations, including Addis Ababa and the Harari region, following joint investigations involving the Ministry of Justice and the National Intelligence and Security Agency.

Police stated that the operation relied on documentary evidence, witness testimonies, and video footage provided by witnesses in both Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. Case files for the 17 suspects have been compiled and transferred to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.