April 10, 2026 (TRIPOLI/KHARTOUM) – The whereabouts of a Sudanese family forced to flee their home due to conflict in El Geneina, West Darfur, is still unclear three weeks after they set off on a rubber boat from the Libyan shore heading towards Europe.
Mariam, who is six months pregnant, went missing together with her husband and two young daughters after they left on March 23.
Al-Amin Khater, Mariam’s cousin, informed Sudan Tribune that over 20 days have gone by without any sign of the boat or those on board. Khater, who lives in France, mentioned he spoke to Mariam’s husband on the day they departed with Libyan smugglers.
I cautioned them about traveling during this period,” Khater stated. “February and March are well-known for being hazardous months for Mediterranean crossings in inflatable boats because of harsh weather conditions.
Based on coast guard information from both the African and European coasts, there are no particular reports submitted about a boat being seized or a shipwreck involving this family.
Nevertheless, the Italian coast guard stated that they discovered 19 corpses near the southern island of Lampedusa on March 25, only two days following the family’s departure. Seven individuals, among them two minors, were saved in that mission.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 375 migrants were reported as dead or missing in “invisible shipwrecks” in the central Mediterranean during January.
The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project recorded over 1,300 cases of missing individuals along this path in 2025. In the initial two months of 2026, around 484 migrants were reported as deceased or unaccounted for.
We are accustomed to seeing bodies wash up on the shores,” al-Dejawy stated. “What we are not used to is witnessing bodies drifting in the open sea, being pulled by fishermen who are making every effort to bring them to land and rescue anyone who might still be alive.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).
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