Zambia nabs 51 illegal immigrants
Xinhua, February 24, 2015 Adjust font size:
Zambian authorities have arrested 51 suspected illegal immigrants after an operation conducted in Lusaka, the country's capital, a senior immigration official said on Monday.
Immigration Department Public Relations Officer Namati Nshinka said the suspected illegal immigrants were arrested after an operation conducted in four residential areas of the Zambian capital last Friday and Saturday.
The immigration spokesperson said out of the 51 suspects, 20 were Zimbabweans, 13 Somalis, four Rwandans, six Tanzanians and two Burundians while two Zambians were arrested for obstructing immigration officers in the execution of their duties.
The illegal immigrants were found without valid documents and will be arraigned before courts of law, he added.
Zambia's efforts to curb the influx of illegal immigrants have yielded few results despite efforts by authorities to arrest the aliens.
Trucks laden with illegal immigrants have been intercepted in various parts of the country. The immigrants are said to be using Zambia as their transit route to other countries such as South Africa. Endi