Financial Crime World

Sudan’s Criminal Underworld: A Web of Mafia-Style Groups and Human Traffickers

Khartoum - Sudan’s criminal underworld is a complex web of mafia-style groups, human traffickers, and corrupt officials who have taken advantage of the country’s political instability to thrive. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), primarily comprising former Janjaweed militias, are among the most prominent criminal actors in the country.

Criminal Networks

Corrupt police and border guards facilitate human trafficking, allowing victims to be transported through security checkpoints and across international borders without intervention. Criminal networks operate on a loose and uncoordinated basis, playing a crucial role in drug and human trafficking. Human traffickers often have tribal ties to the Rashaida and Tabo tribes.

  • Nomadic Fulani cattle herders are also involved in wildlife crimes in the Central African Republic (CAR), primarily through poaching giant eland and buffalo for bushmeat.
  • Foreign actors, predominantly Libyans, work with Sudanese human traffickers, moving victims through Libya and Egypt and onto Europe.

Limited Governance and Corruption

Sudan’s government has been criticized for its failure to address organized crime effectively. The country lacks specialized judicial units tasked with countering organized crime, and the judiciary is influenced by either the president or security forces.

  • The RSF, which is responsible for some of the most heinous crimes in the country, has been accused of abductions, looting, and cross-border smuggling and trafficking of goods and people.
  • The group’s activities are often supported by corrupt officials and state-embedded militias.

Economic and Financial Environment

Sudan’s poor economy and lack of efficient economic regulatory regime perpetuate the illicit flow of funds in the country. The country’s black-market exchange rates and differences between the Central Bank and official exchange rates make it difficult to track illegal financial transactions.

  • Sudanese authorities have made some efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, but implementation remains a challenge.
  • The country continues to lobby for the removal of terrorism-related sanctions.

Civil Society and Social Protection

Sudanese authorities have been criticized for their lack of support for drug users and human trafficking victims. Victims are often subjected to criminal penalties for crimes committed while being trafficked, and there is a lack of measures to identify sex trafficking victims.

  • The RSF has allegedly engaged in child soldiering, but there have been no official investigations into these allegations.
  • Civil society organizations (CSOs) continue to face challenges, including harassment and censorship from security officials. Press freedoms remain extremely poor in Sudan, although they have improved slightly under the transitional government.

Improvements Under the Transitional Government

While Sudan’s criminal underworld remains a significant challenge, some improvements have been made under the transitional government. The government has improved its capacity for coordination of anti-trafficking mechanisms and resolved unclear divisions of responsibility between human trafficking organizations.

However, more work is needed to address the root causes of organized crime in Sudan and to protect victims of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.