SAR RAISES CONCERNS OVER REPORTED ABUSES AGAINST THOUSANDS OF SUDANESE REFUGEES IN LIBYA.

The Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR) raises serious concern over reports documenting widespread violations against thousands of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, including arbitrary detention, torture and other ill treatment, financial extortion, denial of basic services and inadequate access to medical care.

According to a report published by Radio Dabanga on 18 October 2026, the Mashad Human Rights Observatory documented 4,638 Sudanese refugees facing the risk of detention and other violations across more than 11 detention sites in Libya. The monitoring, conducted between January and October 2026, drew on testimonies from survivors and families of detainees. Reported violations include torture and ill treatment, demands for money in exchange for release, severe detention conditions, lack of basic services and failure to provide adequate medical care to people living with chronic conditions.

The reported scale of these violations is deeply concerning, particularly for Sudanese refugees who have fled a devastating war and are entitled to protection from further harm. The allegations point to serious failures to protect refugees and asylum seekers from arbitrary detention, abuse and exploitation while in Libya.

Particular concern surrounds Qanfouda Prison in Benghazi. According to the reports, approximately 1,700 Sudanese and other African nationals were detained there between May and August 2026 on allegations relating to irregular immigration. Reports of overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate food and healthcare, alongside allegations of physical abuse and torture, require urgent independent scrutiny.

The reports further identify the involvement of different actors, including Libyan security authorities operating at checkpoints, militias and smuggling networks along desert routes. While the precise responsibility of individual actors must be established through independent investigations, the allegations underscore the need for effective oversight and accountability across both official and unofficial detention settings.

The reported treatment of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers raises serious concerns under Libya’s obligations under international and regional human rights law. Libya is a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. These frameworks provide protections against torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary detention and violations of human dignity, and require effective remedies for violations.

International human rights standards require that deprivation of liberty be lawful, necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards and judicial oversight. The UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families has previously called on Libya to decriminalise irregular migration, release migrants detained arbitrarily, ensure that immigration detention is exceptional and used only as a measure of last resort, and provide access to legal aid and effective remedies.

The absence of a national asylum law in Libya further compounds these protection concerns. UNHCR reports that Libya is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and that its immigration legislation does not distinguish between refugees and migrants. This leaves refugees and asylum seekers vulnerable to arrest, extortion, trafficking and detention.

The reported violations must also be considered against a broader pattern documented by the United Nations. A 2026 joint report by the UN Support Mission in Libya and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented continuing patterns of serious human rights violations against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, including arbitrary detention, torture, ill treatment, extortion and abuses by State affiliated actors, armed groups, traffickers and smugglers.

SAR calls on the Libyan authorities to immediately protect Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers from torture, ill treatment, extortion, trafficking and other forms of abuse and to ensure that any deprivation of liberty is lawful, necessary, proportionate and subject to independent judicial review.

SAR further calls for the immediate release of all persons held without a lawful basis and for prompt, independent and impartial investigations into allegations of torture, extortion, ill treatment, denial of medical care and other abuses, with those responsible held accountable in accordance with applicable law.

SAR urges the Libyan authorities to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers in detention have access to lawyers, medical care, humanitarian assistance and independent monitoring, and that their protection needs are individually assessed. No person should be detained solely because of their migration status, and detention should not be used as a substitute for an effective asylum and protection system.

SAR further calls on Libya to uphold the principle of non refoulement and ensure that no Sudanese refugee or asylum seeker is forcibly returned to a situation where they face a real risk of persecution, torture or other serious and irreparable harm. Libya’s obligations under regional and international human rights law require protection against such risks.

SAR calls on regional and international organisations, including the African Union and relevant UN mechanisms, to strengthen monitoring and protection for Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, facilitate access to legal and medical assistance, and support measures aimed at preventing further violations and ensuring accountability.

The Sudanese Alliance for Rights will continue to monitor the situation, support efforts to document violations against Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers, and advocate for effective protection and accountability for those responsible for abuses.

Sudanese Alliance for Rights (SAR),

21 October 2026