Mouna & Souad

Mouna* and Souad*, who is pregnant, are travelling with their respective husbands and children.

They come from the same community in Sudan. Their houses got destroyed during the ongoing war.

The two men were kidnapped by Sudanese militias and the women had to pay for their release. It was too dangerous for them to stay there and too hard for their husbands to find work in this context, which made them decide to leave their country.

So they decided to go to Libya, both families altogether, as they didn’t want to be separated in any way. They went through all the hardships as one family.

“We either live together or die together.”

They attempted to cross the Mediterranean, but three times, the whole family got intercepted and put in prison detention centers.

In this last attempt, the wooden boat in which they were traveling was starting to break apart. They explained the babies and young child were very scared while at sea.
After two days at sea, they were rescued by the crew on the supply ship Maridive 703, where they spent four more days.
Tunisian Coast Guards tried to bring them back to Tunisia. They refused and threatened to jump in the water, fearing being brought back to Libya.

After an absence of coordination by competent authorities the Ocean Viking finally got the authorisation to approach the ship in which they had found Shelter.
Mouna, Souad, their families, and other people who had fled Libya on the same boat, were finally transshipped onto the Ocean Viking and taken care of.

They are still extremely worried about their families back in Sudan.

Souad’s father was killed during the war.
The war also took Mouna’s brother, and she had to leave another three-year-old child with her sick father because she couldn’t travel with two children.

They are relieved to be alive and only wish to live in peace with their children, for whom they wish a better life where they can study.