A deadly crash claimed the lives of eleven Sudanese migrants and their Libyan driver Friday in Libya’s unforgiving southern desert.
The collision occurred 90 kilometres north of the remote town of Kufra, according to a statement from the town’s Ambulance and Emergency Service.
Among the victims were three women and two children, highlighting the vulnerability of families fleeing Sudan’s spiralling civil war.
A 65-year-old man and his 10-year-old son survived the crash with injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The vehicle was reportedly en route along a known migrant route when it collided with a truck, underscoring the perilous journeys many undertake.
This tragedy follows the recent discovery of seven dead Sudanese migrants whose vehicle broke down in the desert, stranding dozens for days.
Migrants often traverse these smuggler routes linking Chad to Libya, braving extreme heat and scarce resources in search of safety.
Libya, mired in chaos since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi, has become a key transit hub for migrants heading to Europe.
With porous borders and a vast Mediterranean coastline, the country has long attracted traffickers exploiting desperate migrants.
Since April 2023, thousands of Sudanese have fled to Libya after a brutal conflict erupted between General Abdel Fattah al Burhan’s army and a powerful Rapid Support Forces.
That war has plunged Sudan into a humanitarian catastrophe, killing thousands, displacing over 14 million, and pushing many into famine.
Each body pulled from Libya’s sand tells a story of war, flight, and the brutal cost of seeking refuge through lawless lands.