Mogadishu (UNA-OIC) – The Government of the Federal Republic of Somali has said it is deeply concerned with the mass arrests of Somali citizens in the Republic of Zambia.
“The Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is closely monitoring alleged reports of mass arrests of Somali individuals in Ndola, Zambia, based on their ethnicity, irrespective of nationality, is a cause of concern and presently engaging authorities in Zambia for clarity and resolving this unfortunate event expeditiously,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by Somali National News Agency (SONNA) on Saturday.
The statement from the government comes as dozens of Somalis have been arrested in Ndola, Zambia, in recent days for no apparent reason, after being targeted by police for their ethnicity.
Ndola, on Zambia’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, is home to many Somali families, most of whom own businesses in the area and are law-abiding citizens with no track record of any criminal activity in the south-central African country.
