From africa to europe hundreds of thousands have tried to flee. But recently the number of arriving migrants has dropped. The e. U. Has cut deals with african governments curbing mass migration in return for aid. To sufficiently address security issues. The e. U. Is widening its reach beyond the mediterranean into africa and it hasnt shied away from bringing long shawn dictators out of isolation borders are being sealed. So are we criminalizing. Its a lucrative new market for the arms and security industry. You cant secure thousands of kilometers of border in libya and egypt without foot patrols technologies exist someone just needs to pay for them. The e. U. Has allocated more than eight billion euros to stem the tide of migration. Today more migrants are dying in the desert than in the mediterranean. Some and sorry for. What impact. On africa. Our investigation begins. Were headed towards libya from. Trade road. Once the main trade route for caravans it remains an economic lifeline. Merchants transport goods from. And subsaharan countries all the way to libya on the mediterranean. In recent years this road was also the main route for african migrants trying to get to europe. Were only allowed to travel here with a security escort. We agree in the hope of finding out what action the e. U. Is taking here to stop migration. Everyone here is checked the. Police asked travelers where theyve come from and where theyre going. Anyone suspected of trying to reach europe is barred passage. Thats why migrants now avoid these checkpoints. Today we dont encounter any west african migrants here instead merchants from the tribe desert nomads who have moved freely across desert borders for centuries. Although most of them got the growth of the four of them or leave im from i want to go to libya my parents live there. But i used to be a lot more people here the merchants tell us that the rest station. But people smugglers are still cashing in says our driver a member of the aga is regional council. The desert is big even if you stop it here it goes on elsewhere the smugglers know all the checkpoints and avoid them across the desert to get to libya. So i do so the business is less official but it continues. To me yeah but. Its still a long way to libya. And were not allowed to continue our journey. The official reason security concerns. Mohamed tells us that migrant transports take big detours through the desert. They also avoid water supply stations because these are now under surveillance through funding. But off his main routes the risks for migrants increase u. N. Agencies say the numbers of dead being found in this part of the sahara is rising the government to cooperate with the e. U. Which has pledged one billion euros in Development Aid a massive sum for the impoverished nation. And the government is hearing to the e. U. s wishes with a crackdown. There are one hundred nine seized vehicles on this parking lot of the people who are blue going to more than one hundred human traffickers are behind bars or in investigative custody. The migrants who were traveling in these vehicles have ended up in camps run by the International Organization for migration and are to be sent back to their native countries. Of the for two i. D. s of the like. Liberia born may twenty fifth one thousand nine hundred three. With photos. On the radio broadcaster sarah f. M. Regularly reports on e. U. Policy and its repercussions. We meet up with the editor in chief even him. He shows us photographs of people who have a deadly died trying to reach europe. This is c m your migrant was found dead in the vehicle of happen because they are blocking the only routes that can be traveled safely she must know our grandparents used to. Have you mr self why the government of nigeria has refused to let you travel further into the desert. They have something to hide crush the sahara has become an open air sanitary serious human shit i see in. Increasing numbers of people are dying in the desert because the main route is more strictly controlled a serious allegation. The government in may says the stricter controls are designed to protect people. The European Union leads a mission in each year to train police eighty europeans work at their headquarters near me twenty are posted in august is. Their brief is to train local authorities in conducting more effective controls. The idea with them beach or have an eye on that water point and thats what actually the authorities are doing so they are out there trying to you know go there but also it is difficult because they dont necessarily have the mobility they dont have the costs and. They sometimes stay i think in belmont at the shunammite or only have one car and they have some that are going more car so thanks to germany so that is very good. Germany has supplied more than two hundred vehicles we want to talk to german officers taking part in the you kept mission and film them work but our request is denied. Each year is a member of the west African Economic union eco us similar to the e. U. Its citizens enjoy visa free travel across the blocs borders in theory. Weve arrived at the border between the fossil its located on the central migration route from west africa to europe and is therefore of interest to the e. U. Officially the e. U. Supports the freedom of movement in west africa but that no longer seems to be valid everywhere. Across africa people travel from country to country usually between neighboring countries border traffic is nothing unusual. But the people here say its becoming increasingly difficult. We need some people who are desperate to get to europe this mans destination is belgium. Police moved i made it to. Then i was sent back by the police. They said would be risking their lives in the desert its not normal because i would even if i die i have my dream thats the way it is because the secure. Sickles on his home country ivory coast is a member of eco us in a booze wallet but you dont need a visa suppose you dont know me you dont. And eco was member like my country in theory i dont need a visa. In easier the e. U. Has achieved its goal of stemming the tide of migrants for now. The European Union is going to Great Lengths to advance migration controls in africa. We take a closer look at these new strategies. In recent years some african countries have received more attention from europe than ever before. With more than eight billion euros earmarked for africa until two thousand and twenty brussels is flexing its Foreign Policy muscles. We propose to use a mix of positive and negative incentives to reward those countries willing to cooperate effectively with us and to ensure that there are consequences for those who do not. This includes using our development of trade policies to create leverage thank you very much. So the e. U. Is giving some countries more Development Aid and expects something in return its focus is on the nations from which migrants and refugees are fleeing and those they cross trying to reach the mediterranean. The e. U. Has also cut deals with countries its long subjected to sanctions like sudan. For years president Omar Al Bashir was an International Pariah indicted by the International Criminal court on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in darfur. When he won reelection three years ago with an official ninety four percent of the vote visiting dignitaries included guests from egypt zimbabwe and saudi arabia there were no representatives from europe. Instead of congratulations brussels only voiced criticism. But a short while later it launched negotiations in two thousand and sixteen. As secret documents these clearly spell out the e. U. s objective in cutting a deal with sudan to reduce onward movements to europe. The moral cost is evidently high. The e. U. Should carefully consider the high Reputational Risk associated with its engagement with sudan. We fly to the sudanese capital. It took a long time for sudanese authorities to approve our visit but after persistent efforts we got visas. Intelligence agents accompany us at all times when were on location sudan is a surveillance State Government critics face repression. The country was long internationally isolated and ostracized. But recently sanctions have been lifted or loose and the west is rehabilitating the regime sudan is the Third Largest country in africa now controls along its seven thousand kilometer long borders are to be more strictly enforced. On the border with libya that protection is in part provided by the Rapid Support forces in two thousand and sixteen at the height of negotiations between sudan and the e. U. The presented seven hundred detained refugees the commander had a clear message. Underline the refugees holds no danger to us these people are trying to reach europe. No there was so we are assisting there and you know a little. General doug low and his division are notorious in sudan the unit was formed from the militias called the general weed which translates as devils on horseback investigators in the hague say doug low was their commander when on the president s orders they led a campaign of ethnic cleansing in darfur. Now integrated into the army the same troops have been deployed by the government to the north as a Border Patrol force International HumanRights Groups accuse the or a stiff of abusing refugees and forcibly returning them to their home countries ethiopia and eritrea in violation of International Refugee laws. The e. U. Denies it cooperates with e. R. s if. The spokesperson for sudans cooperation with the e. U. Is general. Not affiliated with the r. S. S. Hes in charge of Border Protection at the interior ministry. To arrives late to our meeting because he says he was held up in talks with e. U. Project officials. Stresses that sudan complies with International Standards in its treatment of refugees. Weve heard a geisha ins and against are this afternoon off is there any truth about it or are you working on this as well no clue for us because we havent got any new reports on the. But we have also want to go to the National Commission for human rights those who have been others to. Seize our borders normally we have to check them out if you use with the exam but to the to the comps but those who are. The irregular migrants so in collaboration with us is the issue of films of the commons and then we take them back up for their countries the one area that we are not getting the Border Control is equipment time skeptical dahiya outlines a number of cooperation projects with the e. U. There is a new Operation Center in khartoum contact with the German Federal police and training conducted by the German Agency for International Cooperation the g. I. C. The years it offers a man implement then they have core implemented. So but that is the german not for the years of whose support they already started with trainings or anything yeah we have one of the start of her at least we. Are seeing more than one hundred officers you know. Were not permitted to film g. R. I. Z. Representatives or their on site activities in writing the g. R. I. Z. Confirms that its new duties include training security forces. They declined to sit down for an on camera interview. The e. U. Mission in sudan is adamant that it does not cooperate with the r. S. S. If it only deals with other units and it will not be supplying sudan with hardware. There will be probably when this computer which will be delivered for his kids and torturing gene for missions the need to networks and. The sort of meant but the movie saw there when he says that hes waiting for us tonight probably theres a misunderstanding no. No they are trying to get some things out they are too toying to. Sudanese. Know v. Counter effects or there is a lesion for years now and they want to we engage with the International Community did he want to get some more legitimacy and so we are trying the ambassador believes sudan is on a road towards improvement and that includes its human rights situation he defends e. U. Cooperation saying the focus is on Development Aid in education and employment. One of the authors of a report as the worry that they engage with here night strengthen and dictatorship thats the fundamental question but clearly we believe its not by confrontations that you will improve the situation when you engage in dialogue we have a bit of a challenge to make things change. The Sudanese Border with eritrea is about a ten hour drive south from the capital Border Patrols regularly catch refugees entering from eritrea. We accompany one patrol. The secret Service Military and police work in close cooperation here an officer of the secret service tells us. Hes in charge here but avoids the camera and. These regular troops have also been accused of human rights abuses. The border with eritrea is a six hundred kilometer long invisible line through the desert. Its strategically important five thousand people flee eritrea every month. Nine million refugees currently live in the horn of africa sudan has been instructed to prevent them from setting off for europe. We have an appointment with a local police chief. One i learned a few has and who are. Always maintained that as long as european nations are the refugees destination and suffer from illegal migration they have to pay in the shape of transport modern surveillance equipment modern vehicles even airplanes that can monitor the long borders into ethiopia and eritrea. The police chief of claims representatives of the e. U. And individual Member States had promised him more than. Just something to give to you dimia who are owed well they made a lot of promises. I cant say nothing has arrived but what weve received doesnt suffice given the current number of migrants admit he and all that comes to mind right now are a few motorcycles. Motorcycles or other boats are you dealing with a cyclist i think that it would grow and that its on its way takes time we want to know what happens to the people detained at the border and are granted permission to visit one of the big refugee camps near the eritrean border. Its located in no mans land a two hours drive from the nearest city. Officially forty thousand people have found shelter here most of them are eritreans who fled to escape a brutal. All story military service that can rob men and women of half of their lifetimes. At times eritreas Border Guards have shot and killed people trying to flee. There are Food Shortages in the camp and many unaccompanied minors we talk to women who tried to get across the border alone. Will do just a little while ago was done and there were seven of us. We were being trailed by a band of smugglers. We ran away from them five of us got away from the city but i was caught together with another girl. They locked us up for three days and raped us and then they took our money and set us free near the Sudanese Border all of you the women dont want to stay here oh yes how can i want theres nothing here we dont want to stay in sudan our goal is to flee to europe so we can have a better life for instance by going to school and learning a new language just so we can have a better life i dont have. The refugees are locked in officially theyre not allowed to leave the camp without a pass but thats hard to obtain. Sudans roads are strewn with checkpoints where guards demand to see ids refugees say the only way to get through is with smugglers who have good connections to the authorities. They say sudanese and eritrean officers have their hands in the smuggling business. The Sudanese Interior Ministry even at mits as much and says its combating such corruption. We spent months trying to obtain a visa from the eritrean government in vain officials there evidently dont want to discuss why so many of its people want to leave the country. Eritrea is dubbed the north korea of africa many refugees say theyre fleeing their own government today more than a million eritreans live outside the country the United Nations has documented incidents it classifies says crimes against humanity men arent slaved in the army women systematically raped its to this dictatorship that europe has restamp wish to eyes. The e. U. Wants to run programs in eritrea to instruct judges and prosecutors on how to bring suspected smugglers to trial. But how successful could that be. Eritreas Intelligence Agency is active across africa thats why this critic will only speak to us anonymously. If they catch people fleeing and the refugees survive the bullets fired at the border and they torture these people to death they hang them up by the hermans and feet from trees people are tortured to death. Our informer was himself subjected to prolonged confinement he then managed to escape to another african country. Hes an expert on eritrea Smuggling Network and levels serious charges at the authorities. The safest way to excrete is with the Smuggling Network run by the military or the government. They organize the excursion and provide the vehicles under man usually a commander ensure a safe passage. He ensures that you get through the checkpoints and that no one asks any questions. Anyone involved in smuggling is arrested and executed except the military there Services Carry a high price tag from twenty eleven to twenty sixteen the price was five thousand dollars per person today its eight thousand per person. Government employees operating as smuggler