Sudanese Refugees: The Death Journey to Europe in Search of Life
Moatinoon
Sudanese refugees fleeing the war in their country face numerous challenges and hardships during their journey to neighboring countries, particularly in North Africa.
The dangers faced by Sudanese refugees along the North African route are twofold, starting in Tunisia and Libya. In Tunisia, Sudanese refugees often endure extremely harsh treatment. Tunisian authorities frequently conduct raids and arrests, aiming to expel refugees from coastal areas, particularly in the Sfax governorate. Many refugees live in dire conditions, exposed to the elements in olive groves.
Eyewitnesses told Moatinoon that about ten days ago, Tunisian authorities detained dozens of Sudanese refugees and abandoned them at the Tunisian-Libyan border. They were subsequently placed in Libya’s infamous detention centers, including the Abu Kammash center in western Libya. Currently, about 60 Sudanese refugees deported from Tunisia are detained in Abu Kammash.
Officially, these detention centers are under the control of the Libyan Coast Guard. However, in practice, they are operated by smugglers who release detainees in exchange for a ransom of 2,000 Libyan dinars. After paying the ransom, the detainee is transported 20 kilometers by taxi to Zuwara, stripped of all possessions.
On October 21, a tragic incident occurred in Tunisia. A Sudanese refugee, Muhannad Saeed Adam from Al-Qadarif State, was killed by a Tunisian farmer in the Kilometre 34 area in Sfax Governorate while using the farmers land to relieve himself. Abdullah Youssef Juma, from Geneina in West Darfur, who attempted to help Adam, was severely injured and hospitalized.
The Road to Europe
On Monday, November 25, Greek authorities on the island of Samos arrested a 20-year-old Sudanese refugee on charges of smuggling migrants after a boat sank, resulting in eight deaths and the rescue of 39 people, including the detainee.
Turkish smugglers often leave refugees in international waters, forcing one of them to steer the boat. Greek authorities then detain these individuals as smugglers as part of Europe’s policy to combat illegal migration. A source from the Greek rescue team on Samos, a local initiative, said that while courts eventually release these detainees, they endure harsh prison conditions for up to six months during legal proceedings. The team is currently providing legal defense for the detained Sudanese youth.
According to the Greek Ministry of Migration, 300 Sudanese refugees arrived in Greece during the first quarter of 2023 via boats operated by Turkish smugglers.
Seeking Asylum After the War
Sudanese refugees began arriving in European Union countries after the outbreak of war in April 2023, mainly through Greece and Italy.
Greek authorities accommodate Sudanese refugees in camps. Once granted refugee status, they are asked to leave the camps and fend for themselves without support, except for women, who are housed in apartments under a protection program shared with Ukrainian refugees.
No Sudanese asylum application has been rejected to date. Among all nationalities, only Sudanese and Palestinians are granted special protection and fast-track asylum processing, allowing them to obtain refugee status within three months on average. Refugees are then issued three-year residence permits and travel documents.
Most Sudanese refugees use their permits to travel to other Northern European countries, as they are allowed to stay in Schengen states for 90 days. They often apply for asylum in these new locations. The head of foreign communities in Greece told Muwatinoun that Greece serves as a transit country to Northern Europe, creating issues for final destination states.
Despite the preferential treatment Sudanese refugees currently receive, the official stated that asylum applications must be filed within EU territory. Thus, refugees must enter the EU, often risking their lives via "death boats" or smuggling. While many Sudanese have drowned in the Mediterranean, no concrete data is available on the casualties.
Reports indicate that since the wars outbreak, 11,000 Sudanese refugees have reached Europe, with numbers expected to rise as hundreds head to Libya.
Previous Statistics
To mark the one-year anniversary of Sudans war, the UNHCR reported that 6,000 Sudanese refugees arrived in Italy via Libya and Tunisia in 2023—a sixfold increase compared to the previous year.
On March 13, 2023, Human Rights Watch noted that some countries, including Canada, the United States, and Sweden, had granted temporary protection and halted Sudanese deportations. Canada also introduced a new family reunification pathway, while Germany resettled 472 Sudanese refugees—the highest in Europe—followed by the United States with 1,817 and Canada with 674.
By April 29, 2024, the European Union Agency for Asylum reported that over 9,900 Sudanese nationals applied for asylum in the EU between April 2023 and January 2024.
On August 13, 2024, Médecins Sans Frontières reported on the plight of migrants and refugees in Calais, France, describing the journey from Sudan to the UK via Chad, Libya, the Mediterranean, and France. The report stated that at least 60% of asylum seekers in Calais were Sudanese, fleeing the ongoing civil war since April 2023. They live in unsanitary conditions, with 1,000 to 1,300 people surviving in makeshift camps with limited access to food and water.
