Libya to repatriate dozens of Sudanese illegal migrants

July 11, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Libya’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency (AIIA) on Wednesday said the Sudanese embassy in Tripoli has issued temporary travel documents to repatriate dozens of illegal migrants.

According to the AIIA, Sudan’s Ambassador to Libya last Thursday visited its headquarters to check on the conditions of the Sudanese illegal migrants.

It pointed out that the AIIA in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) would transfer the illegal migrants via Maitika International Airport.

Last week, the AIIA in Kufra said it has deported 56 Sudanese illegal migrants to their country via the border crossing between Kufra and Sudan.

Following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year-rule in 2011, Libya has slid into chaos and has become the most important transit country for illegal migrants to Europe.

In May 2016, Khartoum proposed to establish a joint force to monitor the common borders between Sudan and Libya to curb the movement of Darfur rebels and fight against illegal migration and terror groups.

The UN migration agency (IOM) in April 2017 said it had received reports about the existence of slave markets in Libya where West African migrants are being bought and sold openly.

Also, the CNN which investigated the reports broadcasted footage of a live auction where black youths are sold to North African buyers. The reported filmed by the journalists of the international news channel showed that the migrants are sold for $400.

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.

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)