UN calls for action over human trafficking in Sudan

The United Nations has appealed for urgent action to crack down on the human trafficking that has been happening in the city of El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur.

According to the Middle East Monitor on November 28th, the appeal came in a statement by the UN special rapporteurs on the current situation in Sudan.

The statement said that after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) takeover of Fasher and surrounding areas, there are concerning reports that human trafficking has occurred, which has prompted this call for action.

It was reported on November 26th that 47 Egyptian migrants were rescued by east Libyan authorities as they dismantled a human trafficking network.

Migrant trafficking in Libya is extremely common, and with Libya being so close to Sudan, it gives militias and gangs the opportunity to kidnap civilians and keep them in inhumane conditions.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported that approximately 867,055 migrants are currently in Libya, with 33% of them being Sudanese asylum seekers escaping their nation’s brutal civil war between the military and RSF.

Since the RSF took over Fasher on October 26th, after surrounding the city since May last year, the country’s crisis has worsened, with tens of thousands of people fleeing, leaving many children and families displaced.

It is also reported that more than six million children – 27 percent of them under the age of 5 – are either displaced or seeking refuge and protection in other countries.

Thousands have died from hunger and diseases in Sudan, including children and the elderly. On October 1st, it was reported that at least 73 children and 22 elderly people died from hunger and disease after fleeing Abu Shouk camp in north Darfur.

The camp once held over 190,000 displaced residents, but was attacked by drones and artillery fire, which pushed many people to flee towards El-Fasher.

Malnutrition is a critical problem in Sudan. A contribution towards this is the shutdown of community kitchens; one modest meal for 20 households now costs over nine million Sudanese pounds.

Sexual violence has also spread across many areas in Sudan. The UN also stressed that women and girls in RSF-controlled regions are in danger of experiencing sexual violence and exploitation.

Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi.org