The European Union's cooperation with Africa on migration: The Case of Sudan

African migration has become a major concern for European policy makers. The European Council has adopted the "Global Approach on Migration and Mobility (GAMM)". Sub-Saharan Africans are increasingly migrating to North African countries with some using the region as a point of transit to Europe and some remaining in North Africa. The EU has undertaken a broad dialogue with countries on the African continent on migration: on a regional level there are policy dialogues with countries along the western migratory route (Rabat Process, initiated in 2006) and the eastern migratory route (Khartoum Process, initiated in 2014). The importance of the phenomenon for the EU makes it necessary for the European Commission to continue incorporating the questions related to migration in its cooperation endeavours with third countries. The aim of the Regional Development and Protection Programme for North Africa (RDDP NA) is to increase protection and enhance development prospects of migrants, refugees and local communities in some countries of North Africa which are both areas of origin, transit and destination of migratory flows. Italy is the leader of the RDPP NA consortium which is managed by the Italian Ministry of the Interior. As part of this programme, the Italian Ministry of Interior - Department on Civil Liberties and Immigration is promoting actions which address the causes of migration, through the support of international cooperation projects and/or collaboration and assistance with developing countries in the areas of migration and asylum. Such projects have a wider scope of application and include some countries of origin of the migratory flows towards North Africa, including Sudan, which lies along migration routes from West and East Africa towards North Africa and onwards to Europe. Under the auspices of the RDPP NA Program, the project "Innovation in society: training paths and human capital enhancement in the Sudan" (INSO) has been created. Funded by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the project hopes to contribute to the socio-economic development of Sudan, an area of origin, transit and destination of migratory flows, by working with university students, developing their skills in order to encourage their integration into the local labour market.