EU expresses support to Sudan in its fight against human trafficking

October 7, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of Interior General Esmat Abdel-Rahman discussed with European Union (EU) ambassador in Khartoum on Wednesday Tomas Ulicny the country’s efforts in combating human trafficking and illegal immigration.

The envoy affirmed EU’s full support of Sudan in its efforts which comes ahead of the EU-Africa Summit on Migration that will take place in Malta next month.

The EU is focused on strengthening the capacities of Sudanese authorities in charge of combating human trafficking. A statement by the EU said that this support would be complementary to development assistance especially with regard to refugees, IDPs and host communities.

Ulicny underscored that controlling migration flows can only be effective through international cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination and that this may be an opportunity to strengthen economic and political relations between the EU and Sudan.

The EU ambassador emphasized that central and immediate objective of the EU’s current activities on migration is to save lives and prevent the exploitation of migrants.

For his part, the Sudanese minister welcomed EU support and confirmed the government’s commitment to fully cooperate with the EU on this matter.

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.

Late last year, 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.

Fifteen countries and EU representatives attended the meeting, during which a joint strategy and action plan to combat human trafficking was adopted.

(ST)