Army intercepts smugglers, migrants headed for Libya

The Sudanese military arrested a human trafficking gang as it smuggled 22 Somalis to the Libyan border by car.

The commander of the sixth infantry, Maj. General Ashraf Mahdi El Rufai, announced that they intercepted the human traffickers on Thursday. A witness in El Fasher confirmed to Radio Dabanga that the smuggled immigrants were on board a dozen Land Cruisers.

The immigrants are from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia and include women and children. Their fate is currently unknown.

“Pro-government militias likely are behind the human trafficking operations,” the witness said. They start their operation from Libya market in Omdurman city, driving in vehicles without plates, that are often used by pro-government militias in Darfur.

Many of the stolen and unlicensed vehicles in Darfur are used by paramilitary and militia forces. A committee in Darfur recently announced to start with a large-scale registration programme.

Kabkabiya gang arrested

El Rufai added that an armed robbery gang has been arrested in Kabkabiya in North Darfur. The gang used to ambush the trade convoys between Kutum-El Tina and El Tina-Kabkabiya, stealing property and terrorising the travellers, the commander said.

The gang is part of a network of bandits that have long been stealing and terrorising travellers, and disrupting the traffic in the localities north of El Fasher.