Surreal illustration of refugees crossing a border at night, highlighting the human trafficking crisis.

Human Trafficking & Smuggling in Eastern Sudan: Unmasking the Silent Crisis

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Avery Sinclair in Law & Justice August 2025 • 4 min read.

"An in-depth look at how state policies unintentionally fuel human trafficking and smuggling, leaving vulnerable refugees at risk."


Human trafficking stands as a grave and escalating transnational crime, casting a long shadow over contemporary human security. Its insidious reach disproportionately impacts the world's most vulnerable populations. Despite increasing global awareness, this phenomenon remains inadequately understood and combated by ineffective strategies, further complicated by overlooked facilitators and contributing factors.

For years, human trafficking has been wrongly attributed to poverty alone, often ignoring more complex issues that make trafficking networks possible. This has resulted in limited strategies which has disproportionally focused on women and children as victims of economic opportunity exploitation. Such a focus deflects from critical elements of state-imposed insecurity, restrictive border policies, and asylum regulations that unintentionally exacerbate the problem.

This article looks beyond conventional perspectives, diving into the overlooked connection between government actions and the surge in human trafficking and smuggling in Eastern Sudan. By analyzing the experiences of Eritrean refugees trafficked from Eastern Sudan to Egypt and Israel, we aim to shed light on these intricate networks and close knowledge gaps about the process's impact on victims.

How State Policies Unintentionally Fuel Human Trafficking

Surreal illustration of refugees crossing a border at night, highlighting the human trafficking crisis.

Irregular migration and the growth of human trafficking are often the result of failed political and legal structures. Policies that create human insecurity and impose restrictive border controls in countries of origin, transit, and destination intensify the crisis. Measures aimed solely at border control and punishing irregular migrants and traffickers fail to address the underlying demand for their services.

The heart of the matter is this: the more states crack down, the more desperate people become, inadvertently boosting the business of human smugglers and, tragically, transforming them into human traffickers. The transformation process puts refugees' lives at even greater risk. European Union (EU) states' approaches sometimes exacerbate the problem. The transformation process is characterized by:

  • Over-criminalization: Aggressive prosecution of smugglers.
  • Financial Aid to Oppressive Governments: Poverty eradication efforts that paradoxically sustain the root causes of migration and trafficking.
Eritrea's 'no-exit' and 'shoot-to-kill' policies, which forbid citizens under 60 from legally leaving and authorize border guards to shoot those attempting to flee, exemplify state actions that drive individuals into the arms of smugglers. Simultaneously, restrictive immigration policies in destination countries inadvertently increase reliance on dangerous criminal networks. Without legal exits, the only option is often to risk everything on dangerous, clandestine routes.

What Can Be Done?

Human trafficking is a transnational crime demanding a coordinated response at local, regional, and international levels. Actions must focus on the rights and needs of asylum seekers and survivors. Governments must address the root causes, focusing on eliminating human insecurity at the source. Transit and destination countries must adopt victim-centered approaches that offer: <ul> <li>Psychosocial support.</li> <li>Physical and material assistance.</li> <li>Access to fair judicial and asylum processes, consistent with international law.</li></ul> Asylum seekers and trafficking survivors need the chance to stay and integrate, not face punishment or deportation. By opening legal immigration avenues, adopting flexible migration policies, and considering a quota system, governments can diminish the power of human smugglers. A balanced approach—decriminalizing altruistic aid while maintaining vigilance against exploitation—is key.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

1

What factors contribute to human trafficking beyond just poverty, particularly in places like Eastern Sudan?

Beyond poverty, state-imposed insecurity, restrictive border policies, and asylum regulations significantly contribute to human trafficking. For example, Eritrea's 'no-exit' and 'shoot-to-kill' policies, which prevent citizens from legally leaving, force individuals to rely on smugglers. Restrictive immigration policies in destination countries further increase dependence on these dangerous criminal networks. These policies unintentionally exacerbate the problem by limiting legal pathways for migration.

2

How do government border control policies inadvertently increase the risk of human trafficking?

Aggressive border control policies and the prosecution of smugglers can inadvertently increase the risk of human trafficking. When states crack down on irregular migration, desperate individuals are driven further into the hands of smugglers, who may then transform into human traffickers, putting refugees' lives at greater risk. This transformation is also fueled by financial aid given to oppressive governments, which sustains the root causes of migration.

3

What specific actions can governments take to effectively combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable refugees?

Governments must focus on eliminating human insecurity at the source and adopt victim-centered approaches. This includes providing psychosocial support, physical and material assistance, and access to fair judicial and asylum processes, consistent with international law. Opening legal immigration avenues, adopting flexible migration policies, and considering a quota system can diminish the power of human smugglers. It's also essential to decriminalize altruistic aid while maintaining vigilance against exploitation.

4

Why is it important to shift from solely punishing migrants to focusing on a more comprehensive approach to human trafficking?

Punishing irregular migrants and focusing solely on border control fails to address the underlying demand that fuels human trafficking. Measures like Eritrea's 'no-exit' policy and restrictive border controls intensify the crisis. A comprehensive approach involves addressing the root causes of human insecurity, offering legal pathways for migration, and providing support and protection to asylum seekers and survivors.

5

In what ways can destination countries like those in the European Union unintentionally exacerbate human trafficking?

European Union (EU) states' approaches can sometimes exacerbate human trafficking through over-criminalization of smugglers and restrictive immigration policies. When EU states focus on aggressive prosecution of smugglers, it drives migrants to more dangerous and clandestine routes. Restrictive immigration policies also prevent asylum seekers and trafficking survivors from integrating, potentially leading to further exploitation. The alternative is victim-centered approaches that offer asylum seekers and trafficking survivors the chance to stay and integrate.

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