A devastating road accident occurred south of Kufra, resulting in the death of six individuals and injuring 32 others, including ten in critical condition, all of whom are Sudanese refugees.
According to Ibrahim Balhasan, the head of Emergency and Ambulance Services in Kufra, the incident happened when a Tundra vehicle, carrying a large number of Sudanese refugees, veered off the road in the desert area, approximately 120 kilometers south of the city. Immediately after the accident, three ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured to the city for necessary medical treatment.
The city of Kufra has been witnessing a significant influx of refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region, which erupted in February 2023. These individuals seek safety and stability in Kufra.
Sudan has decided to restrict the movement of its citizens to the Libyan border to prevent thousands from infiltrating the city of Kufra.
The city of Kufra is crowded with Sudanese displaced persons who were forced to flee from the fires of war in Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
Under the new decision, Khartoum has banned travel from war zones to the border triangle between Sudan, Libya, and Egypt.
The decision warns those behind organizing refuge trips, threatening them with legal accountability and stopping travel from Al Khanaq to the triangle until further notice.
Hundreds of Sudanese families headed to the city of Kufra are in tragic humanitarian conditions with no centers available to receive more families.
The Libyan authorities have closed the Al Awaynat border crossing to restrict the movement of Sudanese refugees into their territory, in addition to deploying dozens of desert patrols.
Entry procedures have been tightened by confiscating vehicles and imposing fines on drivers exceeding 7,000 Libyan dinars, equivalent to 1,000 US dollars.
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that the number of Sudanese refugees in Libya has significantly increased since the onset of the conflict in Sudan.
Last Wednesday, Dujarric mentioned that the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $5.3 million to support approximately 195,000 refugees and vulnerable host communities.
He added, “The war in Sudan has forced a fifth of its population to flee, including more than 2.1 million people who have crossed the borders into neighboring countries.”
