121 Ethiopians who had been held under “difficult conditions” in Myanmar have been successfully repatriated to their home country, according to the foreign affairs ministry over the weekend.
41 of them had arrived on Thursday, while an additional 80 were returned home on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the repatriation was carried out “through coordination with Ethiopia’s Embassy in India.”
It further noted that “efforts are being made to return other Ethiopians who are in difficult situations in Myanmar.”
The ministry also cautioned the public to refrain from traveling to countries with which Ethiopia did not sign employment contracts and warned against being “deceived by false propaganda from illegal human traffickers.”
The repatriated Ethiopians are among other African nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar under false promises of employment. Many had responded to advertisements for customer service jobs but were later forced to work in scam compounds, where, according to survivors, they faced “long working hours, physical abuse, and psychological trauma.”
In February 2025, under pressure from China and Thailand, Myanmar began a major operation to dismantle scam centers operating in border regions.
Thousands of trafficked individuals were released, including Ethiopians, who were then transferred to makeshift camps administered by local armed groups.
However, rights groups and detainees say conditions in the camps remained dire.
A group of more than 270 Africans — most of them Ethiopians — attempted a mass escape in April after rumors spread that they would be returned to the scam compounds.
The escape attempt ended with interception by guards the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) — later agreed to transfer them to Myawaddy, an area controlled by the Kayin Border Guard Force (BGF), where their repatriation was processed.
While the Ethiopian government has repatriated 251 nationals to date, according to some reports, more than 700 Ethiopians remain in camps administered by armed groups where they feel trapped.
MG/as/APA