Sudanese refugees choose ‘suicide trips’ over 150k USD smuggling fees

Sudanese refugees are increasingly undertaking dangerous smuggling journeys known as ‘suicide trips’ to reach Europe, as traditional smuggling fees soar to 150,000 US Dollars per person. Watchdogs say that refugees are making the journey through Libya and neighbouring countries including Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Turkey, and various eastern European states in search of safety and better opportunities.

Malik El Dijawi, founder and commissioner of the Organisation for the Prevention of Illegal Migration and Voluntary Return, described a rise in Sudanese refugees attempting to migrate using homemade or improvised methods. These include gliders, balloons, and boats modified with extra engines to increase speed and evade coast guard patrols.

“The soaring cost of traditional smuggling routes has driven many refugees to attempt the journey on their own, despite the extreme risks”, he told Radio Dabanga in an interview. “Refugees face the risk of death in many ways including starvation, getting lost in the desert, drowning at sea, or suffering abuse at the hands of traffickers.”

In Libya, a common route for those attempting to take the journey alone, activists have pressured authorities to crack down on smuggling, fearing its impact on national security. Libyan authorities have increased efforts this year to regulate the status of undocumented refugees.

El Dijawi warned that repeated failed attempts to make the journey have created a group of refugees who have become “skilled in smuggling”, adding that young people are especially at risk. He explained that his organisation has achieved meaningful results by supporting returnees through “productive projects, housing, aid packages, and access to residential and industrial land through well-structured programmes”, adding it deters them from reattempting the dangerous journey.

“Libya has long hosted a Sudanese community spanning four generations, many of whom are university graduates capable of contributing to sustainable development and youth initiatives in both countries.” El Dijawi praised Libya for hosting nearly one million Sudanese refugees, “offering them access to education, healthcare, and residency, allowing many to live with dignity despite displacement”.

Returnees from Egypt

In a statement on Monday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported a surge of Sudanese returnees from Egypt, with a 44 percent increase noted over a three-week period. In April 2025 alone, 49,800 people crossed the border into Sudan, more than twice the number recorded in March, and higher than the total number of returnees throughout 2024. More than 165,000 people have left Egypt for Sudan since the outbreak of war.

The surge is particularly visible at the Ashkeet crossing, used by 82 percent of the returnees. 71 percent of returnees are originally from Khartoum, and 22 percent are from El Gezira. The average number of returnees per month in 2025 now stands at 30,700, compared to just 3,500 in 2024. As previously reported by Dabanga, Sudanese people have been returning from Egypt in increasing numbers, with many attributing their decision to worsening economic conditions in Sudan’s northern neighbour.

Since war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), almost 4 million people have been displaced into neighbouring countries.