The Khartoum Process, formally the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, is a regional consultative process launched at a ministerial conference in Rome in November 2014. It brings together the European Union and its member states with countries along the migration route from the Horn of Africa to Europe, including Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Djibouti, and Tunisia, with the African Union Commission also participating.
The initiative grew out of concerns about irregular migration, human trafficking, and smuggling networks operating between the Horn of Africa, North Africa, and Europe. It was conceived as a counterpart to the Rabat Process (launched 2006), which covers the West African migration route. Together they form the two main EU-Africa migration dialogue frameworks feeding into the broader Valletta Summit agenda agreed in November 2015 and the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa established that same year.
Stated objectives include:
- Disrupting trafficking and smuggling networks
- Strengthening border management and asylum capacity in partner states
- Promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration
- Addressing root causes such as poverty and instability
- Supporting protection for refugees and victims of trafficking
The process operates through ministerial meetings, a Steering Committee, and thematic projects funded largely via the EU Trust Fund for Africa. Notable implementing instruments have included the Better Migration Management (BMM) programme, coordinated by GIZ.
The Khartoum Process has drawn sustained criticism from human-rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Enough Project. Critics argue that cooperation with authoritarian governments — particularly Sudan under Omar al-Bashir before his 2019 ouster, and Eritrea — risks legitimising abusive security services, including forces with roots in Sudan's Rapid Support Forces. EU officials counter that engagement is conditional and channelled through international implementers rather than direct budget support. Debate over its human-rights footprint, transparency, and effectiveness in reducing irregular arrivals continues to shape EU external migration policy.
Example
In 2016, the EU channelled funding through the Khartoum Process-linked Better Migration Management programme to train border officials in Sudan and Ethiopia, drawing criticism from Human Rights Watch.
Frequently asked questions
Both are EU-Africa migration dialogues, but the Khartoum Process covers the Horn of Africa route (eastern corridor), while the Rabat Process, launched in 2006, covers the West African and Central Mediterranean route.
Keep learning