The fate of dozens of migrants, including 67 Sudanese nationals, remains unknown after three boats departed from the Libyan port city of Tobruk en route to Greece on June 10 and reportedly vanished in the Mediterranean Sea.
Jamal al-Din Suleiman, a relative of one of the passengers, told Darfur 24 that more than 120 migrants were aboard the boats, including his cousin Ibrahim Saeed. Contact with Saeed was lost shortly after departure. Friends later relayed unconfirmed reports that the boats had sunk.
The family of a victim from Kutum, North Darfur, confirmed the deaths of four men: Khaled Adam, Abdullah Adam Idris, Muawia Hatem, and a fourth unidentified individual. Their families had lost contact with them the day they left.
According to sources in Libya, most of the missing Sudanese migrants originated from Nyala in South Darfur, El Nuhood in West Kordofan, and the states of Sennar and Al Jazirah.
Libyan authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Between May 18 and June 14, the International Organization for Migration reported that 1,969 migrants were intercepted at sea and returned to Libya. The week of June 8–14 saw the highest number of interceptions, with 635 migrants stopped.
Human rights organizations continue to express concern over the return of migrants to Libya, where they often face dire conditions in detention centers.
Libya remains a key transit point for Sudanese refugees, particularly in Kufra, Benghazi, Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Tripoli. UNHCR estimates that as of June, around 313,000 Sudanese refugees are registered in Libya.