Grieving Mother Shares Heartbreak Over Smugglers After Daughter's Tragic Death

Senait Mebrehtu mourns her daughter Hiyab, a victim of an ill-fated attempt to cross Lake Turkana via smugglers. The increasing dangers in these routes come as migrants escape punishing conditions in Eritrea.

As the sun lowered on the shores of Lake Turkana, Senait Mebrehtu mourned profoundly, tossing flowers into the lake's shimmering waters in memory of her teenage daughter, Hiyab, who tragically drowned during a perilous journey to reach Kenya through smugglers' routes. The grieving mother, a Pentecostal Christian from Eritrea and a refugee herself, had embarked on this pilgrimage to where her 14-year-old daughter lost her life the previous year.

After fleeing religious persecution and seeking safety in Kenya three years ago, Senait recalled how the tragic journey unfolded. Her elder daughters, longing to join her due to the oppressive environment back home, resorted to trafficking after consulting family who promised to pay smugglers for their safe passage to Kenya.

They embarked on a treacherous journey that led them overland from Eritrea into Ethiopia and then dangerously over the vast lake to Kenya, where deadly winds and poorly maintained vessels pose great risks. One smuggler revealed to the BBC that this route, referred to as the "digital route," surfaced recently in response to heightened security measures in other areas, drawing in vulnerable migrants seeking better lives.

Among those who endured the same fate as Hiyab was Osman, an Eritrean migrant who witnessed the capsizing of Hiyab's boat, tragically resulting in the loss of seven lives. He recounted the overwhelming scene as their boat, overloaded and suffering mechanical failure, succumbed to the elements only 300 meters into the journey.

Ms. Senait laid blame for this heartbreak squarely on the smugglers, accusing them of negligence due to overloading the vessel with more than 20 migrants. She voiced her anguish, stating, “The cause of deaths was plain negligence. They put too many people in a small boat.”

Reports from local fishermen corroborated the grim reality of these tragic crossings, with sightings of migrant bodies washing up along Lake Turkana. The escalating humanitarian crisis has led the UNHCR to document 345,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in East Africa, worsened by a volatile regional climate of conflict and repression.

Compelled to seek refuge amid military conscription in Eritrea, many have turned towards Uganda and Kenya in hopes of asylum. Despite the dire situation, the smuggling network remains active and profitable, with agents operating across several East African nations.

The grim conditions facing those who fall victim to trafficking are harrowing—migrants often expected to pay their way in holding houses rife with abuse and neglect. One female smuggler, while expressing her moral conflict, stresses the importance of caution to potential migrants and parents.

As Ms. Senait continues to grapple with her profound loss, she recognizes a slight relief in the survival of one of her daughters but laments that their family’s story is just one among many facing the devastating impacts of migration and trafficking. "May God heal our land and deliver us from all this," she said, voicing a hope shared by many forced to navigate these treacherous paths.