Bissau – Sitting on the steps outside judicial police headquarters, Jane from Sierra Leone recounts how she suffered attempted rape and other abuses at the hands of a criminal network dismantled in Guinea-Bissau.
Like her, some 70 other individuals from various west African nations were rescued on Wednesday during a police operation that led to the arrest of four suspects, although the alleged ringleader remains at large.
The network lured victims by promising to facilitate their immigration and secure them employment abroad, specifically in Canada, Europe and the United States.
According to accounts, the network engaged in human trafficking and fraud, drawing victims in with false promises before compelling them to participate in illicit, fraudulent activities.
The nightmare for Fanta Makalou, a 32-year-old mother of three from Mali, began with the promise of a job in France.
To arrange the journey, the network allegedly demanded 1.5 million CFA francs ($2,570), with 500,000 CFA francs to be paid before she even left Mali.
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“I’ve been here for three months now”, she said, describing her time held against her will in Bissau.
Issa, a 23-year-old from the Guinean capital of Conakry, described how the trap closed in on him. He alleges he paid 10 million Guinean francs ($1,130) to a smuggler, who subsequently demanded that he recruit another person.
“When I realised it was a scam, I refused. The smuggler threatened to kill me if I told anyone else”, said Issa, who declined to provide his last name for security reasons.
The Guinea-Bissau judicial police carried out their operation codenamed “ASTRA” following weeks of investigation.
Their surprise raids on two houses in the capital’s north led to the arrest of four suspects and the liberation of 71 people.
Among those just rescued were individuals from Mali, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to information provided by the police, while the overall trafficking operation has also included those from Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal.
Held against will
The investigation’s preliminary findings indicate that the victims were brought to Bissau then held against their will.
They were subjected to physical and psychological pressure, including threats and abuse, and were allegedly made to participate in pyramid schemes by recruiting new people via social media, Antonio Gomes, an officer with the judicial police, told AFP.
To lend their activities an air of legitimacy, the organisers reportedly provided fake contact details for offices supposedly in Canada, the United States and Portugal.
Interpol intelligence reportedly contributed to the dismantling of the network, which investigators describe as having a presence in several countries in the region.
Braima Cisse, judicial police communications officer, said the victims would be handed over to their respective embassies and that those whose countries have no diplomatic mission in Bissau would have to manage for themselves.
For years thousands of young west Africans have attempted to migrate in order to escape conflicts, authoritarian rule, or poverty and the lack of opportunity.
Unable to obtain legal paperwork, the migrants often turn to clandestine migration, relying on dangerous networks of human traffickers.
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Source: AFP
