Tanzania January 2006 |
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| Illegal immigrants nabbed in Coast Region, (Guardian and IPP Media, 2006-01-04):-Fifty-one illegal immigrants from Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Africa were arrested in Coast Region last year. Abdi Ijimbo, the regional immigration officer, told PST yesterday that the aliens were arrested on the Chalinze-Segera, Dar-Morogoro and Dar-Lindi highways. He said the vast majority of those arrested and charged were Ethiopian and Somali nationals who claimed that they were on the way to South Africa. "Most of them had no passports or other documents showing that they were in the country legally. They said they were on transit to South Africa for onward connection to Canada, the UK and the US," Ijimbo said. He added that the immigrants said it was easier to pass through Tanzania than other countries, "but we have proved them wrong." Ijimbo said the number of illegal immigrants arrested in the region last year was much lower than the 2004 figure of 100-plus. He attributed this to intensified patrols along major highways passing through the region, adding that the trend would be maintained in 2006. Ijimbo admitted that some illegal immigrants were entering the region with the assistance of local residents, adding that most of the foreigners walked long distances to avoid detection while others preferred to travel on lorries. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |