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Ayman and his family fled the war in Syria because they could no longer endure the insecurity and the daily bombings. They went to Lebanon and took a plane to Cairo. His parents were already there, and Ayman moved in with them. Then he heard stories about people managing to reach Europe on smugglers’ boats and his interest peaked.

When the civil war in Yemen erupted in 2015, Yehia’s parents advised him to flee to Egypt to avoid conscription by one of the warring factions. Having arrived in Cairo via Sudan, Yehia contacted a smuggler who promised to take him across the sea to Italy.

Raed and his family fled the war in Syria and went to Lebanon. After three years there, their situation had become difficult and they decided to travel to Egypt. Raed, his wife and their small child flew to Khartoum and from there to Port Sudan, where they met the smuggler. Raed’s cousin had recommended this smuggler, but Raed did not find him trustworthy.

Kiros and his wife Adiam met in a refugee camp for Eritreans in Ethiopia, got married and started a family. Because of the lack of job opportunities in the camp, they moved to Sudan, where they hoped to be able to earn a living. That proved to be very difficult, and Kiros decided to go to South Sudan, where he stayed working for a year. When he returned to Khartoum, his family had left to go to Europe via Libya. Their situation in Sudan had become unbearable and Adiam had not been able to contact her husband. He now had no idea where they were but decided to follow them to Europe.

Aziz flees from Eritrea to Khartoum, his brother dies in the Sahara, he stays on in Khartoum because of his brother's death, he finally undertakes the journey to Libya, he is caught by some Libyan authorities and threatened with deportation back to Eritrea, and he is finally evacuated by UNHCR to Niger where he waits to be resettled.

“What I want to tell you is, we know what happened to us and what we had to go through. Only those who’ve been through it would know about it. So, my brothers, what I want to say at the end is, please, all the bad things that happened to us should stop with us.” Three young Eritreans are discussing their horrible experiences when travelling the smuggling route through Libya to Europe.

Three Libyan men who escaped the war and came to Malta are sharing their experiences of travelling across the sea in smugglers’ boats. Mohammed, Ali, and Ahmed came on two separate boats, Mohammed together with Ali, who is a teenager, and Ahmed with his wife and three children. They agree that the only thing the smugglers are interested in is their profit. They do not care if they put people’s lives at risk.

Abdi fled from his home in Somalia because of the drought and general insecurity in Somalia. He travelled to Yemen at first, then to Sudan and through the Sahara Desert to Libya. He suffered horrific abuse and extortion at the hands of smugglers. He was imprisoned in Libya and eventually evacuated by UNHCR to Niger where he is waiting for re settlement.

At the university in Khartoum, Farah became involved in political activities, and decided to leave the country. His brother was living in Libya, so Farah asked his advice. He said Libya was dangerous, but Farah insisted to come. He contacted a smuggler and departed on the journey.

Ali was suffering from economic and other problems in his native country Sudan and wanted to go abroad to improve his situation. Two friends were planning to go to Europe and asked Ali to join them. He hesitated because he knew the route through Libya and across the sea was dangerous. He stayed behind and the friends left. When they had reached Libya, they asked him to join them, and he changed his mind and left, travelling with many other people on a smuggler’s pickup truck.

Natsenet and Meron met at the cafeteria in Asmara, Eritrea, where she was working. They married and had a daughter. Their life situation was difficult, and they could barely get along on his salary as a part-time teacher. When Natsenet was summoned to military service, they decided to flee the country.

Nasiba had to flee Sudan after her husband and her sister were killed in an attack on their home. She went to Egypt with her son and her two nieces. A friend suggested they could go together to Libya and from there to Europe, and Nasiba agreed. They worked to earn money to pay the smuggler and then they left for Alexandria. They had to stay in a big house with many people who like them were waiting to depart to Libya. Nasiba noticed that bad things were going on in the house.