Mariam Hussein sidon for floormat for her modest straw-built kitchen, dey look at di foto of her eldest son Mohamed wey she neva see or hear from in seven years.
As tears dey run down her face, she tell us about Mohamed desperate struggle to make am to Europe, believing say e go change im family fortunes.
Im leave dia home for Sudan West Darfur State to make di dangerous trek from Sudan through di risky Sahara Desert.
“Wen im reach Libya dem kidnap am twice,” Mariam tell us.
“Di first time dem demand for ransom, di family and neighbours make financial contributions and we pay.”
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Her last conversation wit her son na on 10 December 2017.
“Bifor im last attempt to cross, im call me wit im friend phone,” Mariam tok as she remember how hopeful her son bin dey about entering Europe di next day.
Now, she no dey sure if im still dey alive or dead.
For April 2023, war break out between rival Sudanese army factions, and dis one force Mariam to runaway to eastern Chad wit her younger son, Ahmed.
Dem now dey live for di expansive Farchana camp wey host about 42,000 Sudanese civilians wey don runaway from two eras of war – di second Sudanese war in di early 2000s and di April 2023 civil conflict.
Di shiny white tarpaulin huts wey dey nestled against di rocky landscape fit don offer escape from di brutality of di war, but di poor living conditions, insufficient food and lack of opportunities dey cause despair for young pipo like Ahmed.
Fed up wit living under such terrible circumstances, e wan follow in im brother footsteps.
E dey nurse plan to leave Farchana wit im friends, and attempt di dangerous trip to Europe, trekking through Libya and Tunisia.
“Wen we bin dey Sudan, I attend university wia I fit dream about my future. But becos of di war I lose evritin,” e tell us, as e remember im days as a student of Business Administration.
A mother worst nightmare
Miriam now dey face a mother worst nightmare – di dreaded spectre of losing two sons to di Sahara Desert.
“I don ask am not to leave becos I see say my oda son lost in di process, so I dey fear say di same tin fit happun to am,” na so Miriam tok sadly.
But Ahmed no gree as e say im future prospects dey dim if e stay for Chad.
“Yes, my mama refuse make I go, but I no fit stay for Chad. No education programme or anytin,” Ahmed tell us.
“Di war don destroy all our dreams. Whenever I tok wit my friends, we dey laugh and play but wen we watch education programmes on TV, Facebook, and Instagram, we see pipo wey dey educated for university and e dey make us feel so bad.”
“We dey compare ourselves to dem and see di huge difference…I no fit end up dis way,” e tok.
Im statement dey highlight say Ahmed and im friends no dey different from millions of youth across di world, and na stark reminder of di distress di war don bring to Sudanese civilians.
Failed attempts
Ahmed frustration dey resonate deeply wit 28-year-old Sidik, anoda Sudanese refugee wey don dey live for Farchana for twenty years.
Im don make three unsuccessful attempts to cross into Europe from Libya and Tunisia.
“Di situation here dey veri difficult. Fixed work no dey for me to do, dat na di reason why I try many times to travel through Libya,” e tok.
E run to Chad wit im family wen im be dey only seven years old and drop out of school due to limited resources. Like Ahmed and many odas for Farchana, e believe say e worth to risk im life, so im daughter and son fit get beta life.
“Di plan dey on course, and we no go stop becos we no fit continue to live dis way,” e reveal.
Di Sahara Desert dey considered as one of the most dangerous migration routes for di world.
According to di International Organisation for Migration (IOM) say 161 migrants die as dem attempt di crossing to Europe through dat route for 2023 alone.
Di IOM and dia international partners don implement di legal migration programmes for refugees for Chad.
Between 2017 and 2019 dem facilitate di relocation of close to 2,000 refugees from Chad to France.
Ying Hu, wey be Associate Reporting Officer for di UNHCR Farchana Office say some resettlement programmes fit dey available for refugees depending on the availability of resources.
“We also get regular programmes such as humanitarian visa, family reunification, scholarship programmes for pipo to continue dia university education abroad,” she reveal.
However, wit most of di funding available wey dem dey channel towards life-saving assistance to dose displaced by di ongoing fighting, di resources available for di relocation programmes dey limited.
Di uncertainty about how long dem gatz wait for dis legal pathways to open up for dem leave Ahmed and im friends fixed on di dangerous Sahara route.
“We go go!” e rok wit finality.
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