The authorities of Sudan’s Northern State have banned travel to the border area known as the “Triangle,” which links Sudan, Libya, and Egypt.
The “Sudan News” website explained that the Triangle border area is the main gateway for Sudanese refugees to Libya due to escalating battles in El Fasher. The decision issued by Abdel-Moaz Ahmed Amin, Director of the Martyr Ismail Bilal Ismail Administrative Unit, prohibits travel agents from traveling from the Al-Khanaq area to the Triangle until further notice. Anyone violating this directive will face legal consequences.
In a related context, Amer Al-Hamri, a travel agent in the Triangle border area, believes that the Sudanese authorities’ decision to stop travel aims to limit the continuous refugee movement toward Libya. He pointed out the overcrowding in the Triangle, where citizens live in poor conditions without shelter, food, or medicine, leading to the spread of diseases, theft, and negative phenomena such as drug use and the exploitation of travelers by travel agents.
Sudanese citizen Ibrahim Musa Al-Mubarak, who is in the Triangle border area, noted that hundreds of Sudanese families heading to the Libyan city of Kufra are gathered in dire humanitarian conditions, with no reception centers for more families. The Libyan city of Kufra suffers from the influx of thousands of refugees from Sudan, forced to migrate due to the horrors of war, making Kufra a safe haven for them.
This comes amid concerns about the small southeastern Libyan city’s ability to accommodate the increasing number of refugees fleeing nearby cities. The official page of the UN Mission in Libya quoted the Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Georgette Gagnon, during her visit to Kufra, saying: “Local authorities and host communities in Kufra and throughout Libya are actively assisting Sudanese refugees. More support is urgently needed to meet the growing humanitarian needs, including the provision of essential services.”
The United Nations in Libya has launched the 2024 response plan for Sudanese refugees in Libya, coordinated by the UNHCR, to support efforts led by authorities and the community and to ensure shared responsibility with Libya, local authorities, and Libyan residents.
