New York — As millions of Sudanese flee the conflict that erupted in April 2023, some are escaping the immediate dangers of war only to fall victim to human trafficking networks, according to a report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). A separate ACJPS report provides further details on the humanitarian situation in North Darfur after a series of attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to the first report, which was published on Tuesday, human trafficking networks are operating along escape routes used by Sudanese refugees, “using smuggling as a cover” and subjecting victims to various forms of violence such as sexual exploitation and forced labour. Sudanese women and girls are said to be among the most at risk. Children, especially those unaccompanied, are at risk of “abduction, enslavement, or forced recruitment in ongoing conflicts”.
ACJPS asserts that the “absence of state control and weak border surveillance” have facilitated the presence of these organised human trafficking networks, adding that “some border security officers are complicit in facilitating these trafficking operations for bribes”.
The ACJPS report describes the difficult journey taken by refugees, citing dangers such as death from hunger and thirst, or accidents during pursuits by authorities. It also points out challenges faced by refugees even after reaching host countries like Egypt, citing reported detentions and the risk of forced return.
As previously covered by Radio Dabanga, a number of people fleeing the war in Sudan have died during perilous smuggling journeys on the road through the desert into Egypt. Refugees say they are pushed to take illegal routes due to long waiting times at the border, compounded with difficulties in obtaining a visa.
In April 2024, Dabanga reported that thousands of Sudanese refugees who escaped to neighbouring Egypt have been detained by Egyptian authorities in a network of secret military bases and then deported back to their war-torn country, often without the chance to claim asylum.
North Darfur attacks
A new ACJPS report provides additional on-the-ground details regarding the escalating hostilities around Zamzam camp in North Darfur over the past week. Published on Tuesday, it states that an initial attack on April 10 resulted in approximately 433 deaths. A subsequent attack the following day is reported to have caused an additional 400 deaths.
As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, ‘at least three million’ displaced civilians have fled westwards, and are overwhelming resources in the Tawila and Jebel Marra areas. the stream of newly displaced, and mostly re-displaced people includes at least half a million former residents of Zamzam camp, which has been effectively obliterated.
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The report details the targeting of civilian infrastructure within the camp. A medical facility operated by Relief International was reportedly attacked, killing nine medical staff. 17 people were killed when an Islamic Quran School was shelled.
These accounts from the ground corroborate earlier reports which documented the destruction of over 1.7 square kilometres of the camp, the execution of humanitarian aid workers, and the targeting of humanitarian and healthcare facilities by the RSF on April 16.
ACJPS also states that hundreds of civilians fled Zamzam camp towards Tawila following these attacks, aligning with the patterns of displacement observed through satellite imagery by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (YHRL) showing convoys moving towards Tawila and Dar As Salaam around April 17.
The humanitarian situation within Zamzam camp is described as dire, noting an increase in the prices of foodstuffs. The camp has been famine-stricken since August 2024.
