By TROY MUKUPA
INCREASED number of foreigners illegally crossing into Zambia to conduct some illegal activities is a threat to national security says, Kasenengwa aspiring parliamentary candidate Saili Phiri.
He said the country has lately seen a spike in the number of illegal migration, and is being exploited as a transit route, especially for people being trafficked from the Horn of Africa on the promise of a greener pastures in the southern tip of Africa.
Mr. Phiri said in an interview that he is worried about the increasing number of suspected Ethiopians and Rwandans allegedly crossing into the country without documentation.
He said security measures should be intensified at all boarder points to deter the illegal entry of some people claiming to be refugees, adding that illegal immigrants were posing a threat to the country’s security.
He said government was aware of the situation because during his visit in Central Province, Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu, is on record to have said some law enforcement officers are among those that have been arrested for abating some of these incidents.
Mr. Phiri said human traffickers had taken advantage of Zambia’s porous borders and had turned the country into a favourite transit zone.
He said serious strategies were needed to quell the escalating incidence of human trafficking and illegal migration which are denting not just the country’s image but it’s system.
Mr. Phiri said while it was true that Zambia had such crimes in the past the cases of crime were now competing with the increasing numbers of immigrants and that the Zambian people were expecting a tangible response to the issue of illegal immigrants.
