UN decries smuggling and trafficking of Somalis
New York, 15 Feb – (ANA) - The smuggling and trafficking in innocent Somalis must end, an independent United Nations human rights expert said today, expressing deep shock over the recent boat disaster in the Gulf of Aden that resulted in the death of 11 people, while another 34 are still missing.
Last week, survivors found on Somali beaches explained that their boat, crewed
by three smugglers and carrying 58 passengers, had set sail for Yemen. They also
recounted to local authorities how smugglers forced 22 passengers overboard soon
after the engine failed, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said. “Smuggling and trafficking in persons in Somalia has been a sad facet of the Somali conflict,” said UN Independent Expert on the situation of Human Rights in Somalia, Shamsul Bari. “Such tragedy highlights the critical need to find a
lasting and sustainable peace in Somalia so that people can live in a decent
manner at home and are not forced to flee constantly their country to save their
lives.” (ANA)
FA/ANA/15 February 2012----------------