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Sudan Tribune

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Sudan to develop national anti-human trafficking strategy

A checkpoint in Metema in north-western Ethiopia, next to the border with Sudan. The town is a centre of a booming trade in migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea. (AP Photo)
A checkpoint in Metema in north-western Ethiopia, next to the border with Sudan. The town is a centre of a booming trade in migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea. (AP Photo)

July 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s 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 a meeting chaired by Vice-President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman on Sunday, the committee discussed legal frameworks to combat human trafficking besides humanitarian and social effects of the phenomenon.

During the meeting, Attorney General Omer Ahmed Mohamed reviewed the report prepared by the legal sub-committee on the relevant legislation and the distinction among illegal migration, asylum, human trafficking and smuggling.

He pointed out to victim protection measures as well as procedures for accommodation, return of victims and removal of offenders in addition to statistical methods to crimes and trials.

The Attorney General also mentioned bases and controls of international cooperation in the prosecution of offenders and the recovery of funds and assets related to crime.

For his part, Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Abel-Ghani al-Nai’im said the meeting agreed to develop a national strategy to combat human trafficking as well as launching partnerships with regional and international anti-trafficking organizations.

Sudan is considered as a country of origin and transit for the 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.

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)

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