A significant human trafficking network was dismantled on May 15th by the Bwelelo gendarmerie brigade in the Moungo department, Littoral region. Several suspects have been arrested, accused of recruiting young Cameroonians with false promises of employment abroad.
According to Lebledparle.com, the traffickers primarily targeted their victims online. Recruiters enticed youths with promises of well-paid jobs in Malaysia and other Asian countries, encouraging them to leave their families.
Investigators say the victims were taken to a base in Yapaki-Dibombari. Once there, some were stripped of their belongings and held under surveillance, awaiting transfer out of Cameroon.
The intervention of a pastor based in Bebanga proved decisive. According to security sources, he helped two victims escape and alerted law enforcement to the existence of the network.
The Bwelelo gendarmes launched an operation that led to the arrest of four suspects, identified as the main leaders of the organization. Several young men and women were found, their departure for foreign countries said to be imminent.
Authorities are continuing investigations to identify possible accomplices and determine the network's exact scope. Cameroon remains a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Victims are exploited for forced labor, sexual exploitation, and forced criminality.
