Report: Human traffickers in Africa shifting business models

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – A new report indicates human traffickers in East and North Africa are shifting their business models to evade detection.

The report by the Research and Evidence Facility, affiliated to the European Union, stated the routes previously used for migration out of Africa have shifted and new ones through Niger, Algeria and Turkey have emerged.

The authors stated that human smugglers and traffickers have broadened their reach and they have also decriminalized many aspects of their business model, employing increasingly legal mechanisms to work from West Africa, Turkey and Europe.

They said the smuggling of humans relies less on clandestine movement and more on commercial travel.

During the report launch in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, an Interpol official said organized criminal groups target the most vulnerable.