Benghazi, August 06 (Darfur24)
Two Sudanese women and a child died after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya as it attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the Libyan Coast Guard announced on Tuesday.
The vessel was carrying dozens of migrants of different nationalities, including Sudanese, when it capsized in one of the latest fatal incidents along the central Mediterranean migration route.
Abdul Latif Ishaq Ahmed, a member of the Sudanese community in Libya, told Darfur24 that the community held funeral prayers for the victims in Tobruk after legal procedures were completed.
He said community representatives had contacted Libyan authorities to determine the fate of other Sudanese believed to have been aboard the boat.
Abdul Latif urged Sudanese families not to expose women and children to the dangers of irregular migration, warning of the risks posed by human trafficking networks operating in Libya.
Shipwrecks involving Sudanese migrants have increased in recent months as the conflict in Sudan continues to drive displacement. Many refugees who flee to neighbouring countries later attempt the dangerous sea crossing to Europe through Libya.
In June, dozens of migrants, including Sudanese nationals, died while attempting to reach Greece. The victims included ten people from Al-Sadira village in Al Jazirah State.
In December 2025, the UN refugee agency reported that about 74 refugees, most of them Sudanese, died when a boat sank off the Libyan coast. Only 13 people survived, while dozens remained missing.
The previous month, 42 migrants, including 29 Sudanese, died after another boat bound for Europe capsized. In October 2025, 18 people were killed and 91 migrants, including children, were rescued after a separate shipwreck off the coast of Tobruk.
Tobruk remains one of Libya’s main departure points for irregular migration to Europe despite repeated warnings from Libyan authorities and international organizations about the deadly risks of the route.