Sudanese migrants killed in Libya

Five Sudanese were reportedly killed and 15 others wounded in a bombardment by the Libyan Air Force in Libya’s eastern town of Ajdabiya.

Sources said that the bombing targeted a Sudanese café suspected of containing a weapon store belonging to Islamic State combatants. Ajdabiya lies 160 kilometres west of Benghazi.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese left their home country to find a livelihood in Libya since Sudan’s relations with Libya improved after the June 1989 coup.

When Libyan rebels began to fight the Gaddafi regime in early 2011, Khartoum officially opted for supporting the insurgents. Yet, in 2014 Libyan officials more than once accused Sudan of supporting Islamist militias by sending weapons by air and troops over land.

Khartoum reportedly did not respond to the request of thousands of Sudanese who called for support with their repatriation as they got stuck between the warring parties. A number of Sudanese were killed in attacks.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in August this year that there “are still between 6,000 and 8,000 Sudanese in Libya, most of them in Tripoli and Benghazi”.

Sudanese also travel to Libya to attempt to cross the Mediterranean in their quest for a better life. In March this year, more than 45 Darfuris died when the boat carrying them from Libya to Europe sank.