At least one Sudanese migrant suffered a broken leg in a stampede at the immigration offices in Kufra, Libya when hundreds of migrants scrambled to obtain health cards, according to eyewitnesses.
Witnesses told Radio Tamazuj that the pandemonium broke out when the Libyan police used force on the migrants.
“The Libyan police used batons and water hoses to control the crowd, causing chaos.” Said Abdullah, one of the injured Sudanese migrants who was immediately transported to the Martyr Atiya Alkasih Hospital by Kufra Ambulance Services.
Sudanese migrants in Libya face extremely challenging conditions due to difficulties in accessing housing and the slow processes at immigration offices.
One migrant, Muhammad Bashir, told this publication that it took him ten days to obtain his health card, during which he had to spend approximately 500 Libyan Dinars (around $90) on transportation and daily expenses.
He noted that the authorities in Kufra have decided to provide health cards and foreign registration cards to Sudanese migrants free of charge.
Ibrahim Bou Hassan, the director of Central Kufra Ambulance Services, told this publication that several Sudanese migrants have been involved in road accidents and others have lost their way in the desert.
“Sudanese migrants are rescued in the same manner as Libyan citizens by the Central Ambulance Services,” Hassan stated.
He also revealed that several Sudanese migrants had recently been rescued from smugglers by the Libyan police and are now receiving treatment in specialized centers and hospitals. Hassan pointed out that Sudanese, Chadian, Egyptian, and Libyan nationalities lead human smuggling and trafficking gangs.
Hassan also emphasized that injuries sustained by migrants at the immigration offices are given serious attention by the authorities in Kufra.