UPDATE – Khartoum Process urges action to address root causes of irregular migration

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, CHANGES HEADLINE, EDITS THROUGH

By Amer Solyman, Betul Yilmaz, Mohammad Sio

CAIRO / ISTANBUL (AA) – A ministerial meeting hosted by Egypt of the Khartoum Process called on Wednesday for addressing the root causes of irregular migration.

The meeting drew ministers and representatives from more than 40 African and European countries, alongside officials from the EU, African Union, and UN.

A final statement issued following the meeting called for adopting a comprehensive approach to ensure safe and orderly migration while confronting human trafficking.

It stressed the need to tackle underlying drivers of irregular migration, such as conflict, economic instability, and climate change, and called for support for affected countries, with a focus on vulnerable groups like women and youth.

In his opening speech, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called the meeting “a unique platform for political cooperation to achieve tangible results through dialogue, knowledge sharing, and support in the key areas of migration.”

The top diplomat said that no boats carrying illegal migrants have set sail from the Egyptian coast since 2016, according to a Foreign Ministry readout.

“This reflects Egypt’s serious efforts in this regard,” he added.

The Khartoum Process is a platform initiated in Rome, Italy, for political cooperation amongst the countries along the migratory routes between the Horn of Africa and Europe. It was set up in November 2014.