Guinea-Bissau Police Free 70 Trafficked Migrants

Police in Guinea-Bissau arrested five suspects in an operation that freed roughly 70 migrants held in the capital, Bissau, on October 21.

The criminal investigation police stated that the group used a front company to recruit victims from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and Cote d'Ivoire. Investigators said the network charged victims between 400,000 and 700,000 CFA francs for the journey to Guinea-Bissau. The operation followed complaints from victims who reported abductions and fraud.

Sadio Konimba, a 26-year-old from Bamako, Mali, told Deutsche Welle that she paid 100,000 CFA francs for a trip that promised work and a route to Europe. She said men from Senegal offered to repay her money if she worked for them. When she refused, the group withheld the refund she sought to return home.

Jane, a 21-year-old from Sierra Leone, told Agence France-Presse that members of the network attempted to rape her and forced her into prostitution. Issa, a 23-year-old from Guinea, said he paid 10 million Guinean francs to a smuggler. He said he was threatened with death after refusing to recruit more people into the scheme.

Police said the network pressured victims to join fraudulent pyramid schemes and use social media to recruit others. Investigators noted that the group used false contact details for offices in Canada, the United States, and Portugal to appear legitimate. Interpol information helped uncover the network.

Bubacar Ture, head of the Guinean League of Human Rights, said the case reflects deeply troubling proportions of the phenomenon. He noted that authorities rescued 60 foreign nationals in a similar operation in May. Ture said women are particularly vulnerable to abuses in Guinea-Bissau due to weak institutions. He urged the government and international partners to provide adequate support to the judiciary and police.

A week after the rescue, many victims lack funds for return travel to their home countries. Konimba said she borrowed 75,000 CFA francs, but that amount is less than the cost to return to Bamako. The Direcao-Geral de Migracao e Fronteiras, the migration and border authority, said it also lacks funds for return journeys. Diplomatic contacts have been established, but no concrete arrangements for return have been announced. Konimba remains in Bissau with an acquaintance while she waits to go home.