Over 3,000 Sudanese refugees detained in Libya’s Benghazi, rights group says
July 24, 2026 (BENGHAZI) – Libyan authorities in Benghazi are holding more than 6,000 African migrants and refugees, including roughly 3,000 Sudanese nationals, amid a crackdown on irregular migration, a rights group said on Friday.
The Darfur Victims Support Organization warned of worsening humanitarian and health conditions for detainees held in eastern Libyan detention centres.
Eastern Libyan cities have seen repeated security operations targeting migrants and refugees who fled to the country since war broke out in Sudan in April 2023.
Human rights groups say the Sudanese population in Libya has surged over the past two years, accompanied by rising complaints of arbitrary arrest and abuse in detention facilities.
Adam Musa Obama, director of the Darfur Victims Support Organization, told Sudan Tribune that his organization documented the detention of more than 6,000 African migrants across Benghazi.
Obama said about 3,000 Sudanese are being held in a single prison in Benghazi, adding that arrests occurred at various times and some individuals have been held for three to six months.
He stressed that conditions remain dire, noting that the group of detainees includes more than 500 women, children, and young men.
He attributed the arrests to accusations of irregular entry, carried out by Libya’s Department for Combating Irregular Migration alongside other security agencies.
The director said detainees face harsh living conditions and illness without adequate care, criticizing the Sudanese embassy for failing to take action to secure their release.
In a statement released Friday, the organization quoted a recently released detainee identified as M.A.S., who said he was arrested in early June 2026 in Benghazi before being moved to a city prison.
The organization expressed deep concern over the severe decline in health and living conditions inside the facilities, calling on eastern Libyan authorities and the UN Support Mission in Libya to release the detainees immediately and provide urgent medical care.