Sudanese refugees in Libya are expressing alarm over mass arrests targeting hundreds of their community across multiple Libyan cities this week. In Sabratha, western Libya, police raided homes early Sunday, detaining dozens of Sudanese families, including many children, amid rising public hostility.
Mohammed Muhiuddin described the detainees being transferred to inhumane facilities, facing severe humanitarian and security hardships under harsh detention conditions. He urged international and human rights organisations to intervene urgently, seeking lasting solutions for refugees fleeing Sudan’s ongoing civil war.
The Libyan Ministry of Interior said its Sabratha Security Directorate conducted a large-scale operation targeting multiple city-centre locations. Authorities reported that hundreds of undocumented migrants were arrested and legal action was initiated against property owners housing them.
In Tripoli, security forces raided homes and blocked streets in Ghout al-Shaal, detaining dozens of Sudanese refugees, according to eyewitnesses. Al-Nadhir Abu Ahmed described widespread fear, noting that some homeowners evicted refugees for lacking valid residency permits amid tense conditions.
He explained voluntary return to Sudan is impossible due to closed borders, restricted passage through Egypt, and high costs via Chad. UNHCR data from September shows Libya hosts roughly 357,000 Sudanese refugees, concentrated in Kufra, Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, Zawiya, and Al-Jafara.
Community member Ismail Issa Ibrahim said recent measures aim to regulate foreigners but Sudanese should be exempt due to war in their country. Sudanese committees and embassies are negotiating detainee releases, having secured freedom for hundreds this year, both from arrests and Mediterranean rescues.
Voluntary return applications have reached 89,000, but closed land routes, particularly the border triangle, continue to obstruct safe and organised repatriation. With uncertainty mounting, Sudanese refugees in Libya remain trapped between fear of arrest, blocked return routes, and the ongoing turmoil consuming their homeland.
