Voices-from-the-sea-cover

[Watch] “Everyday we hear the sound of guns”

Country
Age
04.19.2025
Rescue Date

In this video, some of the 116 people rescued by the OceanViking in March 2021 recount their experiences during their migration journeys: from fleeing their homes to the horrors of detention in Libya, to crossing the central Mediterranean.

 

Photography/Editing/Interview: Anthony Jean / Laurence Bondard / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Latest testimonies

© SOS MEDITERRANEE / Max Cavallari
SOS MEDITERRANEE / Max Cavallari

Aisha

Aisha*, 39, comes from Douala, Cameroon. A women’s rights activist, she had to flee her country after being arrested and tortured for denouncing violence against women in the war-torn English-speaking regions. Her exile took her to Russia before she tried to rebuild her life in Libya.

© SOS MEDITERRANEE / Muriel Cravatte
SOS MEDITERRANEE / Muriel Cravatte

Shararah

Shararah* is a 25-year-old Muay Thai fighter from Afghanistan. She was rescued with 128 other survivors in a complex rescue operation in the Ionian Sea, close to the Italian coast, on December 15th, 2024. The survivors told our team that they had been at sea for nearly six days, departing from Izmir, Turkey between December 8th and 9th.

© SOS MEDITERRANEE / Morgane Lescot
SOS MEDITERRANEE / Morgane Lescot

Suad

Suad, 23, a Syrian refugee, was rescued by the Ocean Viking after a perilous journey from Libya. She shares her story of survival, longing for reunion with her husband in Germany, and hope for a peaceful future.