Illustration Image
Johanna de Tessieres / SOS MEDITERRANEE
Mali
Country
8 Y.O.
Age
03.14.2024
Rescue Date

Ali*, an 8-year-old unaccompanied minor, was rescued by the Ocean Viking teams from an overcrowded rubber boat in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region on March 14, 2024, along with 87 other people.

“My name is Ali*. I’m 8 years old and from Tambaga in Mali. In my country, I used to go to school. About a year ago I left Mali with another boy whom I lost track of when I arrived in Libya. I went through Algeria before arriving in Libya. I walked in the desert for about a month with my friend. On the way, I worked. I did welding and painting. In Libya, I slept in the street in Sabratha. I was often beaten up because I’m black. I heard that people were crossing the Mediterranean to escape Libya, so I decided to do the same. This is the second time I’ve tried to cross the Mediterranean. The first time, the Libyan Coast Guards arrested me and put me in a jail** called Ain Zara. I stayed there for several months. I was scared. I had no money to go out, to eat. Two adults helped me escape.”

*Name changed for anonymity
**survivors refer to both official and unofficial detention centers as “prison” or “jail”

Illustration
Johanna de Tessieres / SOS MEDITERRANEE
Drawing of the Ocean Viking made by Ali, while on board

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.