Sudan’s Displaced: A Journey Through Peril and Policy
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The war in Sudan has triggered the world’s largest human displacement crisis, forcing millions to flee their homes and navigate a treacherous path to safety, often elaborate by restrictive European migration policies. As the conflict erupted in April 2023, over 12 million Sudanese have been displaced, with more than three million seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Alsheikh Haggar, a 25-year-old engineering student, embodies both the resilience of those escaping the violence and the extraordinary circumstances required to find stability.
A Disrupted Education, A New Beginning
Haggar’s initial setback came not from a bomb, but from the necessity of abandoning his civil engineering studies when the fighting began. More than two years later,he recounts his story as a refugee from a café in Madrid. He arrived clandestinely, but has since resumed his education, regularized his administrative status, and found a measure of stability. His journey, facilitated by a humanitarian corridor to Egypt, represents a success story, yet he acknowledges his experience is far from typical.
The Scale of the Crisis
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has created a humanitarian catastrophe. An estimated 60,000 to 150,000 people have been killed in the two and a half years since the war began, and cities lie in ruins, hospitals have been looted, schools abandoned, and markets destroyed. “Sudanese people aren’t looking to Europe; they are looking for a safe place,” explains one advisor with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),with extensive experience in North African migration patterns. “Chad is relatively safe, but when they arrive, they find refugees who have been there for 20 years with nothing, so many, especially young people, decide to go further.”
The perilous Routes
Mokhtar Awad, a 30-year-old electrical engineer from Nyala in Darfur, shares a similar story. Using a pseudonym to protect his family from potential retribution, Awad recounts leaving his home in 2019, anticipating the escalating violence that would later engulf the region. “Getting to chad was easy, you onyl need a passport, the same for entering Libya,” he says, now residing in Madrid. The journey, however, is fraught with danger, controlled by soldiers, militias, and traffickers who determine who can pass and who is turned back.
europe’s Fortress and the Rise of irregular Migration
Reaching Europe presents another set of obstacles. The lack of safe and legal pathways forces many to resort to irregular routes.A Schengen visa, typically required for entry into the EU, demands documentation – bank statements, employment certificates, proof of accommodation, return tickets – that is nearly impractical to obtain when fleeing a war zone with nothing. According to a representative from MSF’s Migration Protection division, many Sudanese in Libya are eligible for asylum, but lack a transparent system to apply before embarking on the risky journey.
despite the challenges, the EU has shown some willingness to accept Sudanese asylum seekers. Between 2023 and 2024,approximately 20,000 applications where filed,with an additional 6,260 submitted through November 2025. The acceptance rate averages 70%, exceeding the EU-wide average of 43%, and reaching 92% in Spain. However, securing an appointment at a European embassy is often futile, as they generally do not accept asylum applications.
The Externalization of Borders and Unintended Consequences
A report titled Fortress in the Sand: EU externalization policies and trans-Saharan migration routes highlights the complexities of the situation. The author, Jérôme Tubiana, notes that despite rhetoric about “safe and legal” immigration, European policies often push migrants towards irregular routes, enriching dangerous actors. “European policies make them lose time and even their lives; they are counterproductive as they end up giving power and money to dangerous actors that generate more displacement,” he states.
Awad’s experience illustrates this point. After spending a year in Tripoli, Libya, working and saving for passage to Europe, he was defrauded fo
