Sudanese in Libya ‘subject to attacks, forced labour’

The Sudanese residing in Libya are “suffering severely” from the deteriorating security situation.

“We are constantly subjected to indiscriminate killings, threats, detentions, kidnappings, robberies, and forced labour,” a Sudanese national living in Tripoli told Radio Dabanga.

“Robberies and hijacks are the order of the day in any Libyan city,” he said.

He reported that earlier this week, a Sudanese man was shot dead after he escaped from detention by a Libyan militia. “We do not dare bury his body because of the rampant insecurity.

Libyan traders are forcing the Sudanese to work without pay, he added. Libyans also file complaints against them, accusing them of illegally entering the country, “even though many of us have been living in Libya for dozens of years”.

The source pointed to statements of President Omar Al Bashir and former Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Karti during the Libyan intifada in 2011 that Sudanese rebel fighters were fighting alongside the troops of former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi. “The Libyans do not differentiate between rebels and ordinary citizens from Sudan.”

He further referred to the Sudanese government’s neglect of the situation of Sudanese in Libya. “The last time a government delegation visited us, was before the April 2015 election.

“The tragic situation prompted dozens of Sudanese families to illegally immigrate to Europe,” he added.