Africa-Press – Angola. Three individuals, including one female, accused of attempted human trafficking into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were, on Monday, detained by the Border Guard Police in the border commune of Luvo, municipality from Mbanza Kongo, Zaire province.
The accused, all from the Democratic Republic of Congo, were surprised by border guard forces when, in the company of seven children under the age of 17, they tried to cross the border towards the neighboring country, using clandestine routes, known as “threads”.
Speaking to the press this Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Zaire Provincial Command of the National Police, quartermaster Luís Bernardo, explained that two of the seven children are female, aged between 10 and 17 years old.
Luís Bernardo said that two of the detainees resided illegally in the commune of Luvo and that they had been contacted by a supposed democratic Congolese missionary, who was allegedly in the Angolan capital (Luanda) on a pastoral mission, so that they could help her cross the border with seven children of Angolan nationalities.
According to the corporation’s spokesperson, the alleged missionary, 46 years old, from Kikuite (DRC), acquired the aforementioned children in a children’s home, called Santa Rita de Acácias, where she presumably provides service.
“After their arrest, the suspects tried to bribe the National Police agents on duty with 49 thousand kwanzas”, highlighted the spokesperson, adding that the children are still in the custody of the Luvo border authorities.
This is the first case of alleged human trafficking to the DRC, which police in Zaire have recorded since the beginning of this year.
The border commune of Luvo is 60 kilometers north of the city of Mbanza Kongo, capital of the province of Zaire.
Four municipalities in the province of Zaire share a border with the DRC, namely Mbanza Kongo, Soyo, Cuimba and Nóqui, covering a length of 310 km.
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