Sudanese Young Woman without Documents Seeks Help from Libya
Moatinoon
Source: www.infomigrants.net
Accompanied by dozens of Sudanese from her hometown, a young woman in her twenties named Khadija fled without a specific destination, only to find herself today stranded on the outskirts of Misrata, Libya. What is her story?
Khadija is pleading for help online, trying to find a way out of a predicament she never anticipated. It’s been over six months since she arrived in Libya, and the 24-year-old still doesn’t know if her family is alive. She remains trapped in an insecure environment, lacking any identification documents.
Khadija, who reached out to Migrant News through our social media pages seeking assistance, recounts, “Over six months ago, I left the outskirts of Darfur, Sudan, with dozens of displaced people fleeing after our home was bombed.” She didn’t know the fate of her family members. Scared and unsure where everyone was heading, she joined them quickly, alone without any family.
Today, Khadija still knows nothing about her family and hasn’t been able to reach any of them since the bombing of their home. She doesn’t know if they are alive or dead and has no means to contact them. She adds, “I was hit by shrapnel in my ribs on the day of the explosion, and I suffer from thyroid issues, yet I’ve been without medication or treatment since the day I escaped.”
The Dire Situation in Sudan!
So far, the war has left over 20,000 dead and displaced around 11 million people, according to UN estimates. Additionally, the country’s conditions continue to deteriorate.
Sudan’s Ministry of Health announced that the cholera epidemic is spreading rapidly, with reported cases exceeding 30,000, including 887 deaths since last August.
The spread of cholera, poverty, and displacement in Sudan coincides with little hope of ending the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which has continued since mid-April 2023.
A Harsh Displacement Journey!
Describing the beginning of her journey, Khadija said, “I was running with everyone, and it took us two days to reach Chad. In every area we passed through, relatives of the people I was with came to help them, but I just continued on with those who remained.”
Upon arriving in Chad with a group of Sudanese displaced people, she continued with others who were headed towards the desert route to Libya. There, she met another group heading to Libya as well. They heard her story and suggested she join them, thinking she might find a way to Europe, knowing she was alone.
Detention, Harassment, and Homelessness!
Khadija recounts, “After I arrived in Libya, many of them crossed the border with family members or acquaintances, while I was detained by authorities. I was held in Abu Salim prison for 14 days, then released when a member of the Sudanese community confirmed I was Sudanese. That’s all they told me.”
She explains that, “Once I got out of prison, I saw the Sudanese man who confirmed my identity getting into his car and driving off. He didn’t speak to me or even look at me. He went on his way, and I remained on the street for months.”
No Help and No Response to Her Pleas!
According to Khadija, she didn’t receive help from anyone; on the contrary, “I faced harassment, violence, and abuse. Young men would harass me, especially at night. On one occasion, four men in the same street tried to cover my mouth, started touching me, but I screamed so much they finally let go. I waited until they left and slept in a lit area until dawn.”
That day, as she recounts to Migrant News, Khadija met a Libyan woman and asked her for help because she was terrified of what might happen to her in the streets at night. She says, “The woman asked me where I came from, and I told her I was from Sudan. Fortunately, she was kind-hearted and married to a Sudanese man, so she agreed to shelter me in her house, where I’ve been staying for two months now.”
"The Solution… Reaching Europe"!
Khadija is trying to get to Europe, explaining, “I can’t return to Sudan because I barely survived what happened, and I don’t know if I’ll find my family alive or dead. The situation in my country is disastrous.”
She hopes to reach France without explaining why, and adds, “I have no relatives in any European country, nor do I have any documents proving my identity. I tried to contact the Sudanese consulate and get an appointment, but they never responded. I’ve also been reaching out to the UNHCR for two months, but no one has replied.”
She continues, “Even my attempts to contact someone who might save me are only through the internet. I don’t have money to recharge my phone, and I haven’t been to a hospital because I also don’t have money for treatment.” She adds, “Luckily, the Libyan woman provided me with some clothes, a place to sleep in her house’s storage room, as well as food and water.”
