Tanzanian authorities are detaining 63 illegal migrants from Ethiopia who have been held in the Njombe region and around 40 others are at large.
About 100 Ethiopian migrants snuck into Tanzania via Nairobi and Mombasa on their way to South Africa, police said, but the truck they were traveling in was intercepted after an incident happened in the area over Easter weekend.
Njombe district police chief Hamis Issah said the Scania truck carrying the Ethiopians broke down after a car crash and the migrants fled.
Njombe Regional Immigration Officer Vincent Hall confirmed the incident and said 63 Ethiopians, who appeared exhausted, were trapped in a hideout at a nearby farm and that police were still searching for another 40 fugitives.
Mister. Hall said the Ethiopians entered the country through the porous border between Tanzania and Kenya.
Also, read; Brilliant Nigerian Couple Celebrates Bagging Doctorate Degree On The Same Day
Tanzania has been ranked as the prime entry point for illegal immigrants from East Africa entering South African countries in search of economic wealth.
South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Botswana are the final destinations for migrants from the Horn of Africa.
Tanzania’s prisons hold 4,419 illegal immigrants who cost the government about TZS 5.8 billion (US$2.5 million) a year to keep.
The annual report of the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, submitted to the Parliament of Tanzania, shows that the daily food budget was TZS 5,000 (US$2.1) per detained migrant. in the country awaiting deportation.
The CAG report says blocked and deported migrants who are unable to return to their home countries have been in Tanzanian prisons for periods ranging from one to five years.
