Somali Migrants in Libya Endure Torture, Starvation, and Plead for Return Home
Mogadishu (AX) — Picture this: A nightmare that hundreds of Somali migrants face while stranded in Libya. Dreaming of thriving in Europe, they flee home to escape conflict and poverty, yet find themselves ensnared in a grim landscape coated with violence and scarcity instead.
Entrapped in Tripoli, these wayfarers have fallen into the hands of infamous human traffickers known as the “Magafe.” These unscrupulous smugglers make life surreal with daily nightmares—extortion, torture, and the gnawing presence of starvation. As dreams dissolve, they yearn to retrace their steps back to Somalia.
Meet Abdirahman Ali Sheikh, one among many trapped in Libya’s capital. His journey, while ripe with hope, evolved into a vivid horror. The calendar read March 2024 when Abdirahman left Hargeisa, North Western State of Somalia, anticipating a promising European future. He found, however, a stark reality waiting for him instead.
“Leaving Somalia was a mistake,” Abdirahman confessed to the BBC. “In hindsight, my soil is rich. Chasing illusions abroad only led to misery.”
Like so many others, Abdirahman was caught in webs spun by deceiving traffickers who guaranteed safe passage. Instead, Libya became his prison, leaving him privy to grim terrors firsthand.
For Somali migrants in Libya, a precarious plight persists. The migration tracks are dominated by merciless traffickers who prey on hope, processing humans as inventory. Promises crumble into captivity, and families face financial ransom demands. Noncompliance brings gruesome torture or even death.
In these hellish camps, Abdirahman recounts seeing Somali, Ethiopian, and other African brothers and sisters. “Living there wasn’t living,” he murmured. “The sight of folks cruelly beaten was daily, some battered to the brink of death, others discarded in deserts as nameless memories.”
Societies witness drained Somali aspirants, resting on parched ground. Their body language narrates tales of hunger, fear, and the uncertainty that accompanied them on this grueling path. Photo courtesy: Abdirahman Ali Sheikh
“They used violence as leverage to coerce families,” he mentioned, his voice a somber timbre. “The sheer wealth of horror stood visible, spiraling into hauntings of the soul, a result of being too impoverished to comply.”
Human rights voices highlight how common such malpractices are in Libya. Traffickers operate with dangerous impunity, moving migrants as merchandise among each other. Lives hang by threads, with women and children suffering extended detention in these bleak camps.
In May 2024, a glimmer of hope emerged as Libyan security forces freed 107 captives—women, men, and children alike. Yet, for those still imprisoned, the shadow of terror endures within these desert camps.
A clarion call rises among Somali migrants for help in returning home. Their embassy in Tripoli endeavors to facilitate this, though adversity and delay characterize the mission.
Abdirahman yearns for this escape. “The Somali embassy lends support, but impatience brews,” he observed, reflecting on near starvation experiences in Libya. “I misjudged my homeland’s worth, realizing, at last, there’s nowhere dearer than home.”
Witnessing Somali women and children released from traffickers’ clutches, Libyan officials step forth in this narrative. These survivors harbor hopes of safe homecoming. Picture courtesy: Abdirahman Ali Sheikh
Brutality’s echoes leave indelible marks, fragility mingling with despondency. Many, like Abdirahman, see their European vision as a dangerous mirage.
“Europe held tales of promise in my mind,” Abdirahman reflected with a shaken tone. “Never did I foresee betrayal by my own audacious dream of escape. Discovering profound regret, I wish I had stayed.”
Somali migrants in Libya glimpse a broader saga affecting North African migrants. The restless tides of chaos and scarcity propel souls from corners like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan, steering them onto treacherous routes toward the Mediterranean. However, Libya—scarred by prolonged civil strife—poses a calamitous snare for those couragous voyagers.
Acknowledging human calamity, organizations like the United Nations voice concerns over rights infringements entrenched in Libyan detention realms. Even so, dismantling the trafficking labyrinth seems an enduring battle.
While embassies extend sanctuary, many migrants linger at traffickers’ mercies. Visions of Europe fade to survival’s grim playlist.
To Abdirahman, his story is both a testament to endurance and a cautionary tale. “To my Somali kin harboring exodus dreams, I’d say: Stay,” he urged. “The peril shadows hope itself. Had I grasped, my path would’ve stayed entwined with that soil I once left.”
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
