The United Arab Emirates says it played a key role in the operation to arrest Eritrean Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, wanted by Interpol.
An Eritrean fugitive accused of being the “world’s most wanted” human smuggler has been arrested in Sudan in coordination with the United Arab Emirates authorities, Interpol announced.
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam has been accused of being a smuggling kingpin, running a camp in Libya where hundreds of East African migrants seeking passage to Europe were allegedly kidnapped, raped and extorted.
Habtemariam, the subject of two Interpol red notices from Ethiopia and the Netherlands, was arrested on January 1 by Sudanese police in coordination with authorities in the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of the Interior official told reporters on Thursday. Interior of the United Arab Emirates, Saeed Abdullah al-Suwaidi.
The Eritrean, on Interpol’s radar since 2019, has earned a reputation for “particularly cruel and violent treatment of migrants,” Interpol said.
“We have now closed one of the most important smuggling routes to Europe, which illegally moved thousands of migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, through Libya and into Europe,” al-Suwaidi said in a statement.
Habtemariam’s arrest followed a joint United Arab Emirates-Interpol investigation, which began last year, that traced illicit financial transactions carried out by his brother, according to al-Suwaidi.
The Eritrean will now face trial in the United Arab Emirates for money laundering, and authorities will review the possibility of his extradition once the case in the United Arab Emirates is closed, Suwaidi added.
Habtemariam was arrested in Ethiopia in 2020, but escaped custody after a year and was later sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
He operated warehouses including in the Libyan city of Bani Walid and was known for extorting and torturing victims.
‘Horrible exploitation’
Habtemariam had worked with another infamous human trafficker, Tewelde Goitom, who was known for the number of captive women he allegedly raped, according to victims Al Jazeera previously spoke to.
Habtemariam’s arrest will deal “a significant blow to a major smuggling route to Europe and protect thousands more from being exploited at the hands of the criminal group,” Interpol said.
Al-Suwaidi said the arrest was “just the beginning” of the pursuit of the rest of Habtemariam’s network, and the United Arab Emirates is discussing with Interpol the possibility of launching another investigation into a major people smuggler.
“The UAE will continue to deploy our full operational capabilities to protect vulnerable communities from this horrific exploitation,” he said.
Stephen Kavanagh, the director of Interpol, said Habtemariam was the “most wanted” criminal, including in Ethiopia and the Netherlands.
The arrest “is a testament to the Interpol network and what can be achieved when countries work together,” Kavanagh said, thanking Ethiopia, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan for playing a “crucial role.”
The agency said more arrests are expected as part of ongoing investigations and as coordination with various member states continues.
