The health of dozens of detained Sudanese nationals is deteriorating inside Qanfuda Prison in Benghazi, Libya, according to interviews conducted with victims’ families and eyewitnesses.

A Mass Arrest Campaign

Libyan authorities in the east, based in Benghazi, carried out an arrest campaign targeting Sudanese and African migrants between May and August 2026, citing illegal migration. The campaign reportedly detained approximately 1,700 individuals, including people with chronic diseases, in a prison environment that lacks basic services.

Detainees Asked to Pay for Their Own Deportation

Libyan authorities reportedly demanded that detainees purchase their own airline tickets in order to be deported back to their countries of origin. Most migrants do not have the money to do so, leaving them in indefinite detention with no clear path to release, a situation that effectively punishes poverty rather than resolving migration status.

DNHR Position

DNHR calls on Libyan authorities in the east to immediately release those detained in Qanfuda Prison and to facilitate their safe return home without requiring detainees to bear the financial cost of their own deportation. DNHR further calls for urgent medical attention for detainees with chronic illnesses and for the prison’s conditions to be brought in line with basic humanitarian standards.

DNHR appeals to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and relevant UN migration bodies to engage directly with Libyan authorities on this case, press for independent access to Qanfuda Prison, and support safe, voluntary repatriation for those who wish to return home. DNHR also calls on international donors and states with diplomatic leverage in Libya to raise this case directly and to support return and reintegration assistance so that detainees are not left dependent on resources they do not have.

About DNHR

The Darfur Network for Human Rights (DNHR) documents human rights violations in Darfur and across Sudan, and advocates for accountability and civilian protection through engagement with UN and African human rights mechanisms.