A joint Sudanese-Libyan patrol announced on Friday that eight Sudanese individuals have been rescued and 20 bodies were found in the desert on the border between Sudan and Libya.
Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported that those found were coming from North Darfur state, heading to Libya in an illegal immigration attempt.
According to SUNA, the commander of the joint forces, Colonel Ali Said, praised the vigilance of the Sudanese-Libyan joint patrol and their keenness to: “Combat the phenomenon of illegal migration, human trafficking and smuggling.”
He also noted the importance of: “The cooperation of the Libyan authorities with the Sudanese forces to secure the borders between the two countries.”
Sudan is fighting the phenomenon of irregular migration whose rates have doubled in recent years on its eastern borders with Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as on its north-western borders with Libya.
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Smuggling and human trafficking are led by organised gangs that transport migrants to countries such as Israel via Egypt and Europe via Libya.
There are no official statistics on the number of irregular migrants and gangs involved in smuggling.
The Sudanese government justifies the absence of statistics by its feeble capabilities compared to the great cost of pursuing gangs across its vast borders.