“We are living in fear,” Layla whispers quietly over the phone, ensuring no one can overhear her. She escaped from Sudan with her husband and six children last year to seek safety and is now in Libya. Like all the Sudanese women interviewed by the BBC about their trafficking experiences in Libya, her name has been changed for her protection.
Warning: This story contains distressing details. Layla recounts how her home in Omdurman was raided during Sudan’s violent civil war in 2023. After fleeing to Egypt, they paid traffickers $350 (£338) to take them to Libya, where they hoped for a better life with job opportunities in cleaning and hospitality. However, upon crossing the border, the traffickers held them captive, beat them, and demanded more money.
“My son needed medical attention after being repeatedly hit in the face,” Layla shares with the BBC. After three days, the traffickers released them without explanation. Layla thought things were looking up when they found a place to stay and she started working. But her husband disappeared while searching for work, and her daughter was raped by an acquaintance through Layla’s job.
“He threatened to rape my younger daughter if she spoke out,” Layla says softly, fearful of being overheard. They are now stranded in Libya, unable to afford to leave and with no way back to war-torn Sudan. They struggle with food scarcity, lack of education for the children, and discrimination against them for being black.
Millions have fled Sudan due to the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, leading to widespread displacement and famine. The UN reports over 210,000 Sudanese refugees in Libya. The stories of Layla, Salma, Jamila, and Hanaa shed light on the harrowing experiences faced by many Sudanese refugees in Libya, where they hoped for safety but encountered violence, abuse, and exploitation.