By Abba Gwale
President of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli, has pardoned and ordered the release of 1,789 Ethiopian illegal migrants.
He made this order following the official diplomatic meeting on Monday between him and Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.
Many of them are using the Tanzania route to reach South Africa despite the dangers of getting arrested by authorities in their respective countries.
“Ethiopians can go home today if they want to. There are no conditions for the release of the foreigners who lacked proper travel documents,” Magufuli said.
Ethiopian people have continued to move in their thousands to many other African and European countries in search of jobs and political asylum.
Last year, Kenyan authorities arrested 13 Ethiopians for illegal entry across the border and another 22 Ethiopians were also arrested in Kenya while being smuggled through Nairobi.
Kenyan Police later confirmed that two other human smugglers were arrested as they were transporting a dozen of Ethiopians to Tanzania.
The vast amount of land between Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda has contributed to the influx of Ethiopian illegal migrants to other regions.
Organisations like Refugee rights organizations and aid agencies have blamed extreme poverty in Africa for the rising number of illegal immigration.
