Ethiopia willing to support S. Sudan in curbing human trafficking

Ethiopia has expressed willingness to cooperate with South Sudan in the fight against human trafficking.

This follows the report about the arrest of four Eritreans at Juba International Airport, said to have been smuggled by unknown people from Ethiopia.

The Public and Economic Affairs diplomat, Ethiopian Embassy in Juba, Temesgen Teshale, said there should be cooperation between Ethiopia and South Sudan in addressing such issues as human trafficking.

“With regards to human traffickers, it needs cooperation between two countries: Ethiopia and South Sudan,’’ he said, as he clarified that they were yet to receive any communication regarding the foreign nationals who were found at the airport.

“I think the reason why they didn’t  [contact us] is that maybe the victims were not Ethiopians. Whenever such legal issues happen, there is a need for cooperation between Ethiopia and South Sudan because the office and stakeholders should work together in cooperation.”

Case at hand

Last week, the Director for Information and Public Relations at the Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passports, and Immigration, James Mapuor Acuoth, said they were investigating a case of human trafficking where four people were arrested without proper documents.

He said four Eritreans who came through Ethiopian Airport in Addis Ababa claimed some people from Ethiopia smuggled them into the plane, and they finally found themselves at Juba International Airport.

“Recently, Lt. General Atem Marol Biar went to Kenya and held a meeting with the director generals of immigration and also IOM, so, they were concerned about human trafficking in the region,” Acuoth explained.

“Four days ago, people turned up, especially Eritrean citizens. They turned up at Juba airport without any proper documents. When asked, they said, some people put them in the aeroplane, and they found themselves here in Juba International Airport. This is a suspicion of human traffickers who are behind this in Addis Ababa.”

Acuoth said they were on the hunt for the traffickers through investigations. He assured the citizens of the country’s efforts to curb such organised crime.

 “We have not yet arrested any traffickers, but we are conducting an investigation. There were reports of people who had been trafficked. This is a regional concern, and South Sudan also wants to (exert) efforts so that this will not happen,” he promised.

“Some people use other people to come and give them full employment. Some people transport people for prostitution purposes. “

According to the information director, the issue of inadequate border control is a major concern that has made the country vulnerable to crime.

“South Sudan has inherited a very weak border system. People can use the land to come into South Sudan. People can also use planes because they have seen that in the airport, there is nobody who has been prosecuted when he turns up without proper documents, ” Acuoth stressed.

He stated that immigration would work with foreign embassies to limit smuggling, adding that it has become a major concern for the region and the continent as a whole.

Potential harbour

Acuoth said a similar case was addressed in 2021, which involved two Ugandan sisters who were smuggled to South Sudan but were arrested at the airport without proper documents.

He said the two sisters were later returned to Uganda after successful coordination with their family and were reunited with their family members.

“And the case, we registered last year, was two Ugandan sisters. And the South Sudan government is now serious and is stepping up the investigation to flush out all these corners where there is a network, ” Acuoth stated.

A report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published on May 18, 2021, showed South Sudan as the “major route” for human trafficking.