Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling to and from Eastern Sudan: Intended and Unintended Consequences of States’ Policies

This paper argues that irregular migration and human trafficking business are symptoms and consequences of political and legal failures on the part of the origin and host states. The crisis has been created, sustained and enabled by state-imposed human insecurities and highly restrictive border and asylum policies in the countries of origin, transit and destinations. Therefore, any attempt to solely deal with the symptoms including border control and implementation of legal measures to punish irregular migrants and traffickers are more likely to fail and less likely to affect the demand for its service. In an effort to stem the flow and combat human trafficking network, EU States have over-criminalized smugglers and provided financial assistance to oppressive governments in the name of poverty eradication but only to sustain the root causes of migration and trafficking crisis they aspire to tackle. States’ approach to over-criminalize human smugglers is leading to the transformation of smugglers into human traffickers jeopardizing refugees’ lives in the process. This paper explores the nexus between States’ migration policies and the surge of human trafficking business as well as the transformation of smugglers into human traffickers. Drawing from the Eritrean refugee experiences trafficked from Eastern Sudan to Egypt and Israel, this paper aims to shade some light on human trafficking and smuggling networks, and to fill the gaps in knowledge about the victims affected by the process.