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Forced labour and slavery |
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Slavery in Somalia existed as a part of the East African slave trade. To meet the demand for menial labor, Bantus from southeastern Africa slaves were exported from Zanzibar and were sold in cumulatively large numbers over the centuries to customers in East Africa and other areas in Northeast Africa and Asia by the Somalis.[1] Ethiopians, especially Amharas and Tigrayans were also captured and sold to traders from Arabia, India, Greece, and beyond.[2]
Oromo subjects were favoured due to their features compared to other slaves.[3] Additionally, they were not viewed as very different from their Somali owners, thus being higher in price compared to other East Africans.[4]