The Libyan ambulance service reported receiving a notification about the overturning of a Tundra vehicle deep in the Libyan desert, approximately 120 kilometers south of Kufra. As a result, three ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured to the city for medical treatment. Among the refugees involved in the incident, seven deaths and 32 injuries were reported, some of which are severe and require urgent surgical intervention.
The Illegal Immigration Control Department in Kufra received an urgent report from the head of the southeastern branch regarding a confrontation with a force from the department headed to the Al Awaynat border crossing. Three Toyota Tundra vehicles carrying a large number of Sudanese refugees were spotted 120 km away. One of these vehicles overturned under the command of a Sudanese driver, resulting in several injuries and fatalities. The driver of the second vehicle abandoned the refugees in the desert and fled, and the third vehicle also escaped with the refugees.
Immediately, the department requested assistance and support from the branch and the Spel Al Salam Battalion patrols due to the presence of over 100 refugees, and three emergency ambulances equipped with medical teams were sent deep into the southern desert.
Last week, Sudanese authorities issued a directive halting travel from the Khanaq area to the border triangle connecting Sudan, Libya, and Egypt until further notice. Violators expose themselves to legal liability.
According to reliable sources, this travel ban aims to curb the continuous flow of refugees towards Libya, where migrants in the triangle suffer from severe overcrowding in harsh conditions lacking shelter, food, and medicine, leading to the spread of diseases, thefts, and social issues such as drug use and exploitation by transportation companies.
The Libyan authorities have restricted the movement of Sudanese refugees into their territory by closing the Al Awaynat border crossing and deploying numerous desert patrols. They have also enhanced entry procedures by confiscating vehicles and imposing fines on drivers exceeding 7000 Libyan dinars, equivalent to about 1000 US dollars.
Clashes in the city of Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, have displaced thousands of residents towards Libya. They traveled via the Al Fasher-New Reservoir route in East Darfur to the city of Al Dabba in the Northern state before heading to the border triangle to reach Kufra in Libya.
In brief press statements, the Dean of the Kufra Municipality, Abdulrahman Arkoub, reported that the municipality receives over 1500 refugees from Sudan daily.
In June, the UNHCR’s office in Libya registered 40,000 Sudanese refugees.
