AU persuaded to tackle human trafficking at 39th summit

ADDIS ABABA - With conflict raging across countries such as Sudan, Mali, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, security is expected to feature highly at the 39th African Union Summit that is underway in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The summit, which starts today (February 11)  and ends on February 15, is expected to be attended by 55 heads of state.

According to a statement from the AU secretariat, the summit is taking place at critical moment, when the continent is facing unique challenges related to climate change, water and security.

According to the International Crisis Group, the continent is having the largest share of armed conflict in the world, which has resulted in breakdown of law and order, which have made people, especially the youth, vulnerable to exploitation.

Speaking during the opening of the 51st Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee in January ahead of the ongoing session, the chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, promised that issues related to security would be discussed, according to the statement.

 “The African Union, through its Peace and Security Council, Special Envoys, Panels of the Wise, and Commissioners, continues to act with urgency to address these crises and advance reforms, particularly within the African Peace and Security Architecture,” Ambassador Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said, according to a statement.

Among the issues that stakeholders want delegates to tackle, especially during the heads-of-state meeting, is the issue of human trafficking, which has peaked and threatens the attainment of AU’s Agenda 2063, a 50-year development blueprint aimed at transforming Africa into a peaceful, prosperous, integrated and inclusive continent.

Charles Kazooba, a director at Karibu East Africa, a civil society organisation, said the African leaders gathered in Addis should focus on improving governance if they want to solve the human trafficking issue.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) of 2024, Africa still contributes the highest number of human trafficking outflows to the world.

Of late, the media in East Africa and other regions of the continent has been awash with reports of increasing cases of human trafficking to East Asia and Russia.

Currently, the Ugandan government is working with authorities in Cambodia to rescue over 500 of its citizens who were lured into the hands of traffickers there.

Last week, French new agency AFP reported that through a web of deception, several Kenyans were lured by traffickers into the killing fields of Ukraine, where some have ended up dead, while others have escaped and returned home with injuries.

The escapees told AFP that it all began with promises of well-paying jobs in Russia from a Nairobi recruitment agency, only to end up on the frontline.

Similarly, since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2023, the country has been accused of recruiting girls aged 18-22 under the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Although the programme has been advertised as a scholarship, an investigation by the Institute for Science and International Security showed that the girls were be taken to work in Shahed drone factories in Tatarstan, Russia.

In Uganda, social media has also been awash with videos of its citizens at the frontline in Ukraine. In September last year, security agencies at Entebbe Airport intercepted a group of about 70 Ugandans who were destined for Moscow.

Charles Kazooba, a director at Karibu East Africa, a civil society organisation, said the African leaders gathered in Addis should focus on improving governance if they want to solve the human trafficking issue.

“The story of Africans being trafficked to the Middle East, Russia, East Asia and being exploited there reeks of abuse that relates to desperation and resource deprivation,” Toko said.

He said because of the breakdown of governance and security on the African continent, human trafficking gangs are taking advantage of young people and luring them into illicit activities in foreign countries, especially in East Asia and of late, Russia.

“You see, everything starts with governance. Once governance breaks down, the economy slows down, resulting in unemployment and eventually poverty. When you are poor and in the midst of corruption, organised foreign cartels can take advantage of your citizens and traffic them to all these dangerous places,” he said.

Kazooba, therefore, appealed to African delegations to focus on governance and ensure that the bloc comes up with bottom-up instruments that control human trafficking.

For Godwin Toko, a lawyer and an activist at Agora, said the problem starts with poverty.

“The story of Africans being trafficked to the Middle East, Russia, East Asia and being exploited there reeks of abuse that relates to desperation and resource deprivation,” he said.

Retired Maj. David Rusa, a lecturer of international relations at Cavendish University in Uganda, said continental bodies such as the AU should come up with legal instruments against human trafficking and also champion good governance and economic empowerment of the youth through skills development.

“Enactment of stringent laws against human trafficking and enforcement mechanisms, including judicial, operational and deterrent measures cam ameliorate human trafficking,” he told New Vision.