Sudanese army stops over 200 migrants in route to Libya
April 30, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army has recently managed to catch over 200 illegal migrants trying to smuggle themselves into Libya, announced the Northern State on Sunday.
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and its notorious militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are deployed along the north-western border with the troubled Libya. They are tasked with the border monitoring to prevent illegal migrants from sneaking to Libya, to capture terrorists who try to join the ranks of the Islamic State group there and above all to fight Darfur rebels who are allegedly present in Libya now.
However, the foreign ministry on Sunday said the government forces only secure 260 km of its 700 km border with Libya, pointing that there are still gaps that could be used by Sudanese rebels, human smugglers and illegal immigrants.
The Sudanese 75th Infantry Brigade in a joint operation with the Sudanese-Libyan Joint Forces, have managed to capture more than 200 infiltrators of different nationalities on the Sudanese-Libyan border on their way to Libya through the Western Sahara.
Libya which was a final destination for foreign workers is now a transit country for the migrants who seek to cross into Europe.
In a visit to the army headquarters in Dongola, the capital of Northern State, the Deputy State Governor Mohamed Abdel-Rahman Diab praised the vigilance of the Sudanese army and their leading role in protecting the border together with other security services.
“This operation confirms the vigilance and close commitment of the armed forces to their duties,” said Diab in a speech to the joint force.
The Sudanese police transported the illegal migrants to the capital Khartoum where they have been handed over to their respective embassies.
(ST)