On 27 January 2026, the Dutch court in Zwolle delivered a significant verdict in the case against a suspect known as Walid, or Tewelde Goitom, convicting him on nearly all charges related to widespread human rights abuses against refugees in Libya. The court, in a comprehensive ruling totaling around 100 pages, sentenced Walid to the […]
Situation Report Special: Cruel Eritrean smuggler Walid gets the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison
Walid hearing verdict (per 27 January 2026) The judges in the Dutch court in Zwolle found the suspect in the ‘Walid’ case guilty of almost all charges and sentenced him to the maximum of 20 years in prison. The full verdict comprises around 100 pages. The judge presented the main points of the verdict during […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Alarm at inflammatory rhetoric in South Sudan
Situation in Sudan (per 26 January) Two civilians have been killed by a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) suicide drone strike on the besieged city of Dilling, South Kordofan state, reported The Sudan Doctors Network on Sunday. The network accused the RSF and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), of ongoing deliberate attacks on unarmed civilians […]
Situation Report: US pauses assistance to Somalia
Situation in Sudan (per 8 January) Tomorrow marks 1000 days since the start of the conflict in Sudan. Fighting continues unabated. A drone attack on a house in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, has killed 13 people, including children, on Tuesday. Fighting in the Kordofan region has displaced 65.000 people in the span of three months. The […]
Situation Report: Somaliland’s independence recognised by Israel
Situation in Sudan (per 5 January) Over 114 people have lost their lives in the western region of Darfur, amid the recent clashes between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) using drone strikes and ground assaults, according to medical sources. Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris has proposed a plan to end […]
Situation Report: Special on Digital Data
Europe External Programme with Africa is a Belgium-based Centre of Expertise with in-depth knowledge, publications, and networks, specialised in issues of peacebuilding, refugee protection, and resilience in the Horn of Africa. EEPA has published extensively on issues related to the movement and/or human trafficking of refugees in the Horn of Africa and on the Central […]
Situation Report Special: “Why am I prosecuted here?” – Walid’s final words as court prepares verdict on 27 January
The summary of the first 6 hearing days can be accessed on the EEPA website. Walid hearing: Summary of Day 7 (per 26 November 2025) Day 7 of the court hearing in the case of alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid” covered the reply of the injured party and the public prosecutor, the rejoinder, and […]
Situation Report Special: Defense pleads there is no Dutch jurisdiction for the charges against ‘Walid’ and disputes strength of evidence
The summary of the first 5 hearing days can be accessed on the EEPA website. Walid hearing: Summary of Day 6 (per 24 November 2025) Day 6 of the court hearing in the case of alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid” covered the plea by the defense. The defense pleaded for Walid’s acquittal on the […]
Situation Report Special: Prosecution demands 20 years in prison, placing Walid at the center of a “well-oiled organization”
The summary of the first 4 hearing days can be accessed on the EEPA website. Walid hearing: Summary of Day 5 (per 19 November 2025) Day 5 of the court hearing in the case of alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid” covered the indictment by the public prosecutor, establishing the identity of Walid, arguing jurisdiction […]
Situation Report Special: Survivors speak in Walid hearing: “to me he is a perpetrator”
The summary of the first 3 hearing days can be accessed on the EEPA website. Walid hearing: Summary of Day 3 (per 17 November 2025) Day 4 of the court hearing in the case of alleged human trafficker Tewelde Goitom “Walid” covered four personal statements of impact from victims, and the personal circumstances of Walid. […]