From Khartoum to Crete, Greece... Sudanese refugees seek a safe life in Europe
Source: arabic.euronews.com
After a missile tore through his home in Khartoum, Bahar al-Din Yaqoub had no choice but to flee Sudan in search of a safe haven. He headed to Egypt, but he quickly encountered a difficult economic reality and tightened security for refugees. He was forced to continue his journey through desert smuggling routes to Libya, and from there, he crossed the sea to the Greek island of Crete.
Yaqoub, 25, is not an isolated case. He is part of a small but growing wave of Sudanese refugees who have decided to leave Egypt for Libya, rather than return to a homeland torn apart by war since April 2023, according to refugees, smugglers, aid workers, and activists.
Although the movement of tens of thousands of Sudanese to Libya has been documented, this new phenomenon—refugees leaving Egypt for Libya—has not been highlighted before.
In this context, Reuters spoke to 32 Sudanese refugees, most of whom said they were forced to leave Egypt due to deteriorating living conditions and continued their journey to Libya, and then to Greece and France.
While the number of Sudanese heading to Libya is increasing, despite the dangerous situation there, more are attempting to cross into Europe. According to preliminary figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Sudanese arriving in Europe increased by 134% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, even as the total number of migrants arriving from North Africa declined.
"The sea was rough, and the journey was extremely difficult, but we were completely exhausted in Libya," Yaqoub said. "We had no choice: either cross or die." He explained that he was arrested and ill-treated by Libyan authorities and militias.
Despite Europes support for the Libyan Coast Guard and its return of migrants to detention centers, a UN fact-finding mission concluded in 2023 that crimes against humanity were committed against migrants in some of these centers.
Major General Ibrahim Al-Arbad, head of the Department for Combating Illegal Immigration in the Al-Butnan area in eastern Libya, stated that between 20,000 and 25,000 Sudanese have entered Libya from Egypt since the outbreak of the war. He noted that many of them hold refugee status in Egypt but have been unable to settle due to economic conditions. He added that between 200 and 250 Sudanese cross the border weekly, with the number expected to increase during the summer.
Increasing Restrictions in Egypt
Since the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, more than 4 million Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, including 1.5 million to Egypt alone, according to the UNHCR.
Egypt initially allowed all Sudanese except working-age men to enter without a visa, but later tightened the restrictions, forcing many to resort to smuggling. Organizations say obtaining residency has become complicated and expensive, with refugees required to deposit approximately 1,000 starting in August 2023, an amount most cannot afford.
According to three Egyptian immigration lawyers, the government launched a security campaign last year targeting those without residency, even those with UN refugee status. They noted an increase in deportations after the issuance of a new asylum law in late 2024, which transferred the authority to adjudicate asylum applications from the UNHCR to the Egyptian authorities.
Although the government denies any discrimination against Sudanese, human rights organizations say the new situation has instilled a sense of insecurity among refugees, pushing many to continue their journey despite the risks.
“Their inability to return to their homeland and the fear of deportation or persecution has forced them to seek safety outside Egypt, even through dangerous routes,” says Mohamed Lotfy, director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
Boats Escape from Libya to Europe
Yaqoub left Khartoum weeks after the war broke out, passing through several cities inside Sudan before taking the desert route to Egypt, which he arrived in January 2024. There, he spent days sleeping on the street while waiting to register with the UNHCR. He then surrendered to the harsh bureaucracy and moved to a small apartment with eight Sudanese men.
Despite his intermittent work as a day laborer, he was still threatened with arrest due to his lack of legal papers. He decided to leave for Libya, where he faced an even harsher situation. Two months later, he managed to board a boat with about 50 migrants, mostly Sudanese, heading to Crete.
According to the European Unions Frontex agency, the Eastern Mediterranean route—which Yaqoub took—was the second-busiest route toward the European Union from January to April 2025. During that period, 1,469 Sudanese crossed this route, compared to only 361 in the same period in 2024.
"I finally feel safe in Greece," Yaqoub says from a refugee camp near Athens. "If Greece gives me safety and stability, I will stay."
Pressure on Europe... and the Exploitation of the Migration Card
On the other hand, Egyptian authorities claim they are making a significant effort to host millions of refugees despite their economic crisis, which includes double-digit inflation and a currency crisis. However, European reports, including an internal report by the European Commission, indicate that refugees are not benefiting from national support programs and that a large number of them suffer from food insecurity.
According to European diplomats and officials, Cairo is trying to pressure Brussels to increase financial aid in exchange for curbing the flow of migrants. Member of the European Parliament, Tineke Streik, who visited Cairo in December, said that an Egyptian official told her: "Imagine if our border guards took four weeks off, what would happen?"
In March 2025, the European Union announced a €7.4 billion funding package for Egypt as part of an agreement to curb migration. However, this approach has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, especially in light of the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in Europe and the adoption of policies that accelerate deportations and transfers of migrants to third countries.
