The largest human trafficking mafia stronghold in Kassala raided, and 144 hostages freed
The anti-smuggling police forces in Kassala State, under the supervision and follow-up of Brigadier General (Police) Bashir Ali Bashir and his deputy, Colonel (Police) Salih Idris, carried out one of the most powerful and professional operations, freeing more than 144 illegal immigrant hostages of Ethiopian, Eritrean, Somali, and Kenyan nationalities, including 20 girls and an entire family.
The victims were freed from the grip of the human trafficking mafia inside the (Karai Darir) forest, located opposite the Atbara River Locality, following information provided by a source. Police found a vehicle and a firearm at the crime scene, and the perpetrators fled, leaving the victims in a miserable situation. The victims reported that the kidnapping was carried out in a dramatic scenario that appeared to be merciful but was deeply painful. The kidnappings were carried out by members of an organized international network that deceived the victims into believing they were transporting migrants to Europe. Instead, they lured them from their countries and kidnapped them. One girl was kidnapped from inside the Shagarab camp with the aim of extorting money from her relatives.
The victims were subjected to various forms of systematic torture aimed at pressuring their families and chaining them.
Some beautiful women paid a heavy price, being raped and becoming pregnant after their bellies became noticeably swollen. Three young men died as a result of torture, and some were severely exhausted. One of them was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
In a shocking statement, Ahmed Mahmoud, a young Somali national, said that he and others were chained, beaten with sticks and water hoses, and starved for months during the kidnapping, which lasted between a year and a half.
The mafia provided them with one meal a day, consisting of lentils, in a particularly heinous act of extortion and human rights abuse. Mahmoud said, “The mafia demanded that their families pay a $10,000 ransom for each person in exchange for their release, or $2,000 to remove their shackles. The victims asked their families not to send the money to the gang after their release, which they celebrated in a humane display. The state government recorded a video in absentia, surprising journalists, for their participation in this great achievement and boosting the morale of the anti-smuggling forces in an event that dominated the headlines.” Mahmoud added, “We didn’t feel like human beings until the Sudanese police arrived.” The victims thanked the Sudanese government and the anti-smuggling police for their generous treatment, providing them with food and first aid.