This snapshot examines the role of smugglers in the decision-making and journeys of Eritrean, Ethiopian, and South Sudanese migrants in Port Sudan. It should be noted that while interviews with migrants were carried out in the second half of 2024, most respondents had been in Sudan since before the outbreak of war in April 2023 and are reflecting both on their interactions with smugglers along the journey to Sudan and once in the country.

This is the second of two snapshots published on smuggling dynamics along routes to and within Sudan. The first snapshot on migrants’ perceptions of smugglers is available here.