About 30 Sudanese, including women and children, were rescued after their vehicle broke down in the Libyan desert, leaving them stranded for five days without food or water, local authorities in southeastern Libya said Monday.
The group, which included families displaced by conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, had traveled from Sudan through Chad toward Libya before their vehicle broke down about 40 kilometers from the Libyan-Chadian border. They were left in scorching heat with no means of communication.
A rescue team from the Central Ambulance Service in the Libyan city of Kufra evacuated the passengers Monday morning.
Ibrahim Abu Hassan, director of Kufra’s Central Ambulance Service, told Radio Tamazuj that two Libyan brothers, Mohammed and Mahmoud, found the vehicle Sunday morning and provided aid before searching for other passengers who had left to seek help.
“Some were on the verge of death from thirst. They were found at the last moment, suffering from severe dehydration and shock, including children and elderly,” Abu Hassan said. “Fortunately, no deaths were reported.”
He said ambulance teams traveled more than 350 kilometers round-trip from Kufra to the remote desert location, about 100 kilometers south of the city, to evacuate survivors to hospitals.
According to Abu Hassan, the passengers said their journey began in Sudan’s Al-Hamra and Al-Malha areas in North Darfur, passing through Chad before their vehicle broke down in the Libyan desert. Desperate to survive, some resorted to drinking urine mixed with tea and soil, Abu Hassan added.
Extreme thirst and exhaustion left them unable to speak for days, with no way to call for help, he said.
Abu Hassan warned of the dangers of desert travel in ill-equipped vehicles without communication tools or emergency plans. “Transporting families under such conditions endangers many lives and could amount to a crime,” he said.
Similar incidents are frequent in the Sahara border areas, as more Sudanese flee the ongoing war amid worsening humanitarian conditions and scarce safe routes.
Abu Hassan expressed hope for a swift return of peace in Sudan so displaced Sudanese could safely go home.
The conflict in Sudan has killed at least 24,000 people, though the actual toll is believed to be far higher. It has displaced about 13 million, including 4 million who fled to neighboring countries, and pushed parts of Sudan into famine.
The United Nations and international rights groups say the war has been marked by widespread atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically driven killings, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur.