Sudanese in Libya live in fear of traffickers

Sudanese in Libya have expressed concern about the poor security situation in the country owing to the spread of human trafficking gangs.

A Sudanese national in Kufra told Radio Dabanga that Sudanese living in various Libyan cities face threats from armed gangs such as kidnapping, robbery, and murder.

He said they cannot go out into the street after 11 pm.

He said they “expect abduction at night,” adding that. “Many the Sudanese have been abducted after being lured by taxis.”

Torture

In January, a group of Sudanese nationals were kidnapped and tortured by human trafficking gangs in Libya , and later released from their captors by Libyan authorities.

Graphic videos showing Sudanese citizens being tortured in Libya was shown on social networking sites. They were beaten and tortured with fire by their captors who forced them to contact their relatives to provide ransom money in order to avoid being killed.

Sudanese acivist Adam Hari Bosh told Radio Dabanga that more than 5,000 Sudanese are stranded in Libya. “The majority of them are from Darfur, who have become the most vulnerable to the horrific abuses in Libya.”

According to comments by former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour this year, there are currently an estimated 221,500 Sudanese nationals in Libya.