African intelligence and security services discuss human trafficking in Khartoum
February 26, 2018 (KHARTOUM) The Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA) has decided to develop a plan for fighting against illegal migration and dismantling human trafficking networks.
The consultative meeting of the CISSA has kicked off on Monday in Khartoum with the participation of 17 intelligence services to discuss the phenomena of illegal migration and human trafficking.
The deputy director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Jalal al-Din al-Skeikh al-Tayeb said the CISSA has dispatched a team to Libya and Niger to investigate the human trafficking, praising efforts of security services in both nations and their cooperation with the team.
Al-Tayeb, who addressed the opening session of the meeting, said CISSA is part of a tripartite team including the United Nations and the European and African Unions and tasked with ending these negative phenomena.
He added the meeting would develop practical solutions for ending human trafficking, saying it would discuss all aspects of the phenomenon including the motives, effects, methods of gang’s networks and routes used for trafficking.
He pointed out that the meeting aims to complete efforts regarding the Libyan problem.
The Sudanese intelligence official further accused Sudanese rebels of involving in looting, killing and smuggling activities in the country, saying they are serving as mercenaries and human traffickers in the fighting in Libya.
He renewed the call to stop support for the negative movements and bring its leaders before trial, saying it is high time to translate words into deeds and take critical decisions against activities of negative movements”.
For his part, the executive secretary of the CISSA Shemeles Simai said human trafficking has become the second largest criminal industry in the world, pointing out that human traffickers pay some $35 million to facilitate transportation of the victims in Libya and some African countries.
“24 million of migrants fall victims for human trafficking, half of them are children and the majority are African girls between ages of 5 to 15 years,” he said
Simai disclosed the CISSA has asked the African Union Commission to help in providing technical support to dismantle the human trafficking networks, saying this meeting brings together countries of origin and transit to discuss ways to end this phenomenon.
He added the meeting will also discuss the report prepared by the CISSA team on Libya and Niger in order to arrive at a work plan and recommendations to dismantle these networks.
He added the tripartite committee is working on three levels including strategic, coordinative and operational to develop a solution for this humanitarian crisis in Libya.
The CISSA was established in August 2004 in Abuja, Nigeria to close the existing void in the continental security architecture on intelligence matters. This was borne out of the compelling need to assist the African Union (AU) to deal effectively with multifaceted intelligence and security challenges confronting the continent.
In September 2017, Sudan’s former head of intelligence Mohamed Atta succeeded the Rwandan top spy boss Joseph Nzabamwita as chairman of CISSA.
Sudan remains one of the most active members in CISSA. Its chairmanship comes as the country is increasingly seen an island of stability surrounded by conflicts in Libya and the Central African Republic.
(ST)