Fugitive trafficker’s capture sparks new Malawi-Ethiopia crime-fighting pact - Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times
Malawi and Ethiopia has sealed a hard-hitting new pact to crush the human trafficking gangs preying on desperate migrants — as officials warned criminals can no longer use borders as a “shield” to escape. . .
Malawi and Ethiopia has sealed a hard-hitting new pact to crush the human trafficking gangs preying on desperate migrants — as officials warned criminals can no longer use borders as a “shield” to escape justice. The agreement, signed in AdThe two ministers share a lighter moment as they put pen to paper on the historic anti-trafficking agreement. dis Ababa, will see the two African nations join forces against the organised crime networks smuggling and exploiting vulnerable people across their borders. Malawi’s Minister of Homeland Security, Peter Mukhito, told the signing ceremony the deal was no mere paperwork exercise — but a serious commitment to hunt down traffickers wherever they flee. Justice must cross borders tooPointing to the recent capture of fugitive Wadamo Adinw Bashaw, who was handed over to Ethiopian authorities, Mukhito insisted the two countries had already proven cooperation gets results. “A criminal may cross a border — but justice must be able to cross that border too,” he declared. Gangs exploiting technology to target victimsThe chilling warning came as Mukhito revealed trafficking gangs are becoming ever more sophisticated — using technology and exploiting the vulnerable across multiple countries to evade capture. No nation, he warned, can fight the crisis alone. Under the new pact, the countries will share intelligence, coordinate operations, and work together to track down fugitives and bring them home — all while working within the law. But the minister cautioned the real fight is only just beginning. “An agreement that remains on paper cannot stop a trafficker, rescue a victim or dismantle a criminal network,” he warned. ‘They are our sons and daughters’In an emotional appeal, Mukhito reminded delegates that behind every trafficking case lies heartbreak — young women lured abroad with false promises of work only to be trapped in exploitation, young men tricked into danger, and families left waiting for loved ones who may never come home. “These are not merely statistics,” he said. “They are our sons, our daughters, our brothers and our sisters. ”A message to the whole of AfricaThe pact — signed in Addis Ababa, home of the African Union — was hailed by Mukhito as a powerful symbol of Africa’s determination to stamp out organised crime and protect human dignity across the continent. Praising officials on both sides, the minister insisted the deal’s true success would not be judged by signatures on paper, but by lives saved and traffickers behind bars. “Let today’s signatures become tomorrow’s action,” he said. “Malawi stands ready to walk this journey with Ethiopia — as partners, as fellow African nations, and as countries united by the conviction that security, justice and human dignity know no borders. ”Malawi’s Minister of Homeland Security, Peter Mukhito, shakes hands with Ethiopia’s State Minister of Justice, Belayhun Yirga Kifile, after signing the landmark trafficking pact in Addis Ababa on Thursday. The two ministers share a lighter moment as they put pen to paper on the historic anti-trafficking agreement. Mukhito and Kifile hold up the signed Memorandum of Understanding following the ceremony at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Justice. Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :