Story by Theophilus Chuma
GOVERNMENT has raised alarm over escalating human trafficking cases after 15 Zimbabweans were killed after being lured into foreign wars through fraudulent recruitment schemes.
Authorities say the victims were recruited under false promises of lucrative employment opportunities abroad, only to be forced into armed conflicts and exploitative conditions.
Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Zhemu Soda, confirmed the developments, describing the situation as a dangerous and growing trend.
“We are witnessing a troubling and dangerous trend. The recruitment of Zimbabwean citizens will end up being in foreign armies and participating in armed conflicts beyond our borders. This is not a matter of legitimate military service. It is a sophisticated scheme of deception, exploitation and human trafficking that has already resulted in the loss of Zimbabwean lives. It is with profound sorrow that I confirm to the nation that to date, 15 Zimbabwean nationals have lost their lives in foreign battlefields after being deceived into enlisting in foreign wars,” he said.
Dr Soda said President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed the Government to urgently address the matter.
“The President has directed the government to act with agency and resolve. We are seized with this issue on several critical fronts. First, regarding the deceased, the government is actively engaged in the complex diplomatic and logistical efforts required to repatriate the remains of the 15 fallen Zimbabweans. To the recruiters, agents and traffickers, we say the long arm of the state is coming for you. Your networks will be dismantled, your operations will be exposed, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This government will not allow its citizens to be treated as commodities that are traded for a profit.”
Just last month, at least 15 Zimbabweans were reportedly trapped in Cambodia, working as domestic workers under very inhuman conditions.
“For the people who are trapped in Cambodia, in fact, they are in Myanmar. We have managed to bring back patrols as the government and the others were facilitating their safe return to Zimbabwe,” Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Honourable Mercy Dinha noted.
Human trafficking is a dilemma for many African countries, with nations such as Uganda and Kenya also reporting a similar pattern where their nationals have been targeted.
The Government says they are in the process of rescuing 61 other nationals who remain trapped in nations that are currently at war.
