STORY: At a garage in Libya’s Misrata, Asawer Mustafa is hard at work changing the oil in a car.
It’s a job that’s usually reserved for men – both in Libya and in the pharmacy student’s country, Sudan.
But having fled war back home, it’s a way for Mustafa to support her mother, brother and two sisters.
She has, she says, left her studies, and her ambitions, behind.
“We used to live in Nyala in the middle of war, conflict, theft and looting. We had to get out of Nyala due to the intense fighting. We were looking for a safe place to seek refuge. Libya was our first option because it is close to us. We collected some money to flee and the journey was long, it lasted between eight to ten days in the desert, it was very, very harsh, with the big cars and the cattle until we reached Kufra.”
:: Omdurman, Sudan
:: April 7, 2024
Fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has driven more than 10 million people from their homes.
That’s 20% of the population.
It is the world’s largest displacement crisis.
The war has also left half the population of about 50 million facing a hunger crisis and in need of humanitarian aid, the most anywhere in the world.
Having arrived in Libya, Mustafa and her family moved from one town to another before settling in Misrata.
That’s after applying for refugee status in the capital Tripoli.
Her dream, she says, is to go to the United States.
A place where she can resume her studies, away from the horrors of war.
Source Agencies
