Sudan frees 237 human trafficking victims during last 9 months

December 17, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in coordination with the police and military intelligence have freed 237 victims of human trafficking between April and December, said well-informed security sources

The semi-official Sudan Media Center quoted the sources as saying a joint force from the NISS and the police last month freed 84 victims including 51 women and 33 men in Kassala State.

The same sources said another joint force from the NISS and military intelligence has freed 66 victims including 8 women and 7 children in North Darfur who were heading to Libya last April.

Also, the sources pointed out that 57 victims have been freed this month at East Nile locality, east of Khartoum, saying the combat operations would continue during the next period.

Sudan is considered a country of origin and transit for illegal migration and human trafficking. Thousands of people from Eritrea and Ethiopia are monthly crossing the border into the Sudanese territories on their way to Europe through Libya or Egypt.

Last July, the Higher Committee to Combat Human Trafficking said it would develop a national anti-trafficking strategy as well as activating existing laws to counter the phenomenon in accordance with the established international standards.

In January 2014, the Sudanese parliament approved an anti-human trafficking law which punishes those involved with human trafficking with up to 20 years imprisonment.

Also, in 2014, Khartoum hosted a conference on human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, organised by the African Union (AU), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Sudanese government.

The East African nation has also forged a strategic partnership with several European countries and the EU to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.

(ST)