From Adré to Europe: Sudanese youth take serious risks in sea crossings

3 September 2026

“We are simply existing,” says Adam Abkar Adam, a refugee living in Adré, a camp along the border of Chad and Sudan. “Unable to provide anything for our families. It feels as though we are prisoners, only indirectly.” Feeling trapped and helpless to support his family, Adam remains determined to take the treacherous journey from Adré to Libya and then finally cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. 

Many Sudanese refugees share similar plans to Adam, desperate to leave Adré Camp. “The camps themselves are pushing people to leave,” explains Dar al-Salam Issa, the Head of Women’s Affairs within the camp. “They deprive us of freedom and dignity. Children, young people, women and older people have begun leaving in search of a better life only to face death along the way,” she added. 

In late August, at least 37 Sudanese migrants died as their boat capsized enroute from Libya to Greece. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that in just four months in 2026, at least 821 people died trying to cross the sea into Europe. 

“For us as families and refugees, the sea has become a nightmare. We are losing our children as they attempt to cross it,” Dar al-Salam told Ayin. “Just as many people have died in the war, others have died in the desert and the Mediterranean.”