Police have arrested seven Somali refugees for allegedly operating a human trafficking ring at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Garissa County.
The seven suspects were also arrested over claims of hosting Al-Shabaab terrorists following investigations by the police targeting illegal activities at the camp.
North Eastern regional coordinator Mohamed Saleh said the suspects had been smuggling refugees from the camp to Nairobi where they used fake documents to leave the country.
Their activities at the camp have been linked to human smuggling cartels that facilitate movement of terror recruits, he said.
“They have been facilitating refugees to move to Nairobi for documents to enable them move to Europe and Canada. The suspects have also been hosting terrorists at the camp,” said Saleh.
Those arrested were identified as Bertie Mohamed Khalif, Ahmed Abdi Mohamud, Omar Mohamed Khalif, Bare Hussein Mahat, Shamsudin Dubow, Nasra Abdi Noor and Anab Mohamed Muhamed.
The arrest comes weeks after security agencies arrested another group of suspected human traffickers at the coast.
The Kenyan government had announced last year that it would shut down the Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa County over security reasons saying the camp was a breeding ground for terrorists.
[According to the police, the Somali refugees were allegedly operating a human trafficking ring at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Garissa County.]