Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2015 22:41:37 +0100
- An Erythrean migrant sits outside his makeshift shelter somewhere in the woods, close to a chemical factory in Calais, northern France, Sept 5, 2014 (Photo Reuters/Pascal Rossignol)
On Wednesday, Sudan’s foreign ministry undersecretary Abdel-Ghani al-Naem Wednesday has met with the director of migration at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office James Sharp and the representative to the Horn of Africa for the National Crime Agency (NCA), Roy Godding in the presence of the UK ambassador to Khartoum, Michael Aron.
They discussed opportunities for cooperation and coordination between Sudan and the UK in immigration and police domains especially the fight against organized and cross-border crime and illegal migration and human trafficking.
Al-Naem described the meeting as an advanced step towards promoting ties between the two countries but he pointed that relation with the UK is still below the desired level.
He stressed the need to exchange visits and determine areas of cooperation between the two nations besides establishing joint projects to enhance the ties.
The Sudanese diplomat further called for addressing causes of illegal migration, underscoring importance of stopping any political or material support that could encourage rebel groups to destabilize security and stability of the country.
He said that civil wars directly contributes to the flow of refugees into the European countries which requires those countries particularly the UK to convince the rebel groups to engage in a serious dialogue to achieve permanent peace across the Sudan.
For his part, the British official said he came to Sudan to hold consultations with the concerned bodies to develop projects for combating illegal migration and to offer funding for those projects according to what have been agreed upon recently in the Valletta summit on migration.
Last month, a major migration summit that brought leaders from the African continent and the European Union (EU) has been held in Valletta, Malta.
He praised the cooperation he received from the government bodies responsible for the illegal migration dossier particularly the foreign, justice and interior ministries besides the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
“It has been agreed in principle to prepare a memo or an agreement between Sudan and the Britain to promote cooperation in the police and migration domains”, he said
Al-Naem welcomed the agreement stressing that Sudan is a country open to its neighbours and it has received more than one and a half million refugees from the neighbouring countries and Syria.
He emphasized the need for cooperation and coordination between Sudan and the international community particularly the European countries to implement joint projects to fight against illegal migration.
The Sudanese diplomat stressed Sudan’s commitment to combat illegal migration, human trafficking and the organized crime in general.
The European Union is facing unprecedented mass migration from Africa and the Middle East countries.
Last September, the United Nations estimated that there about 8,000 arrivals daily pointing it could see no easing of the flow of refugees into Europe.
The EU is expected to offer African states a range of aid as well as easier visa access and lower costs for migrants sending cash home in return for help to curb migration into the European bloc, including by taking back illegal immigrants.