Wednesday October 16, 2024
Dozens of Somali men sit in a holding area in Tripoli, Libya, awaiting processing after being rescued from human traffickers. These migrants endured months of captivity, hoping for a better life in Europe but now pleading for repatriation. Credit: Abdirahman Ali Sheikh
Mogadishu (HOL) — Hundreds of Somali migrants stranded in Libya are enduring extreme hardships, with many expressing deep regret for leaving their homeland in search of a better life in Europe. Fleeing poverty and conflict, these young people hoped to find safety and opportunity across the Mediterranean, but they now find themselves trapped in a nightmare of violence, hunger, and uncertainty.
Stranded in cities such as Tripoli, many of these migrants have been held captive by human traffickers, known as "Magafe," notorious for exploiting vulnerable migrants. Torture, extortion, and starvation have become the daily realities for those caught in their clutches. As their dreams of a better life in Europe crumble, many now desperately seek a way to return to Somalia.
Abdirahman Ali Sheikh is one of the hundreds of Somali migrants currently stuck in Libya's capital, Tripoli. His journey, which began with hope, quickly turned into a living nightmare. In March 2024, Abdirahman left Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital, with aspirations of reaching Europe, believing that a better future awaited him across the sea. However, what he encountered was far from the life he had envisioned.
"I regret ever leaving Somalia," Abdirahman told the BBC. "I now see that my country is rich. There's no better place than home. I was chasing a dream, but I found nothing but suffering."
Abdirahman, like many others, was deceived by traffickers who promised him safe passage to Europe. Instead, he ended up in Libya, where traffickers control much of the migration route. Held in captivity, he witnessed and experienced unimaginable horrors.
The situation for Somali migrants in Libya is dire. Human traffickers control much of the illegal migration network. These traffickers lure migrants with false promises, only to detain them in inhumane conditions and demand ransom from their families—failure to pay often results in severe torture or death.
Abdirahman described the harrowing conditions inside these detention centers, where Somali, Ethiopian, and other African migrants are held. "The life we lived there was not life. It was brutality," he recalled. "I saw people beaten for hours, some until they died. Others were left to die in the desert, their bodies discarded like they meant nothing."
Exhausted Somali migrants rest on the ground. The migrants suffered severe hunger, abuse, and uncertainty during their harrowing journey through the country. Credit: Abdirahman Ali Sheikh
He described witnessing men, women, and even children subjected to horrific violence. "They beat people to force their families to pay ransom, and if the money didn't come, they killed them. I watched people die for no reason other than that they were poor," he added.
According to human rights organizations, such abuses are common in Libya, where traffickers operate with impunity. Migrants are seen as commodities, sold between traffickers, with no regard for their lives. Many migrants, including women and children, have been held for months or even years in these camps.
In May 2024, Libyan security forces rescued 107 migrants, including women, men, and children, from captivity in southeast Libya. Despite such interventions, thousands remain trapped in the country's desert detention camps, suffering under the constant threat of violence.
Many Somali migrants are now pleading for assistance to return home. The Somali embassy in Tripoli has been working to help repatriate those who want to return, but the process is slow and fraught with challenges.
Abdirahman, like many others, is waiting for help. "I've asked the Somali embassy to send me home, and they've been supportive, but the wait is hard. I almost died of hunger here in Libya. I thought my country was poor, but now I realize there's no better place than home," he said.
Libyan officials process a group of Somali women and children who were rescued from human traffickers. These women have survived extreme conditions and are now hoping for safe return to their homeland. Credit: Abdirahman Ali Sheikh
The emotional and physical toll of the journey has left many migrants disillusioned. Those who survive the brutality of the Magafe are left scarred, both physically and mentally. Many, like Abdirahman, now realize that the dream of a better life in Europe was a dangerous illusion.
"I had this idea that Europe would be different, that I would find work and live a good life. But now I understand that leaving home was the biggest mistake I've ever made. If I had known what awaited me, I never would have left Somalia," he reflected, visibly shaken.
The plight of Somali migrants in Libya is part of a larger crisis facing migrants across North Africa. As conflict and economic instability push people out of countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan, many take dangerous journeys across the desert to reach the Mediterranean. However, Libya, a country fractured by years of civil war and instability, has become a deadly trap for these hopeful migrants.
International organizations, including the United Nations and various NGOs, have repeatedly called attention to the human rights abuses taking place in Libya's detention centers. Yet, despite the global outcry, the situation for migrants remains dire, with little action taken to dismantle the human trafficking networks that continue to thrive in the country.
While some migrants, like Abdirahman, are able to find temporary shelter with the help of their embassies, thousands more remain at the mercy of traffickers. For those still trapped, the dream of reaching Europe has turned into a grim fight for survival.
Abdirahman's story is a testament to the resilience of those who endure such suffering, but it is also a warning to others considering the same path. "If I could speak to anyone thinking of leaving Somalia, I would tell them to stay home," he said. "It's not worth the risk. I wish I had understood that before I left."