May 9, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese army has arrested human traffickers holding 231 people in Gaili Forest, on the eastern plains of Butana, Gedaref State, said the official news agency SUNA on Tuesday
However, the nationalities of the human traffickers and the victims have not been disclosed.
According to the agency, a joint force from the army’s 2nd Infantry Division has busted the human traffickers on Monday after receiving detailed intelligence.
It pointed out that the victims include 34 women and 3 children, saying the capture of the human traffickers was part of the disarmament campaign and the ongoing efforts to combat negative phenomena, outlaws and cross-border crimes.
Last March, the Sudanese police arrested human traffickers holding 177 victims including 27 women in the capital Khartoum.
Also, a joint police force in Sudan’s eastern state of Kassala last December managed to free 95 victims of human trafficking following an exchange of fire with the perpetrators.
Between 1 and 31 January 2018, 1,184 persons arrived in Italy by sea, representing 28% of the illegal migrants who arrived during the first month of this year. They all crossed the Mediterranean from Libya.
During the same period, 126 Sudanese crossed to Italy, according to the UNHCR.
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.
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.
Also, in 2014, 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.
The East African nation has also forged a strategic partnership with several European countries and the EU to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.
