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Jérémie Lusseau / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Stories of survivors

SOS MEDITERRANEE has rescued more than 42,700 people since 2016. 

From an eight-year-old who walked alone from Mali to a Lebanese family with three young children, these are the stories of those rescued. Their harrowing and heartbreaking tales shed a light on the dire humanitarian situation in the Mediterranean.  

Video
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Francesca Volpi

Testimony

Hamid

“I became a soldier at 17 years old. If you are a soldier, there is no salary. You will not be able to help your family. “

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Julia Leithauser / SOS MEDITERRANEE

Testimony

Yes

 Yes, 18, told us that in El-Fasher, Sudan, “there is no way out, and there is no way for food to get in. People…children…die so hungry. Killing is a normal thing there.”

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Francesca Volpi/SOS MEDITERRANEE

Testimony

Nirvan

For *Nirvan from Nepal, being rescued marked the end of a staggering 14-month journey across six countries, and the first moment he felt his life was no longer in danger.

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Alisha Vaya/SOS MEDITERRANEE

Testimony

Xidig

Xidig, 27, is from Somalia and describes the situation in his country: “Every morning there is no peace, there is no food, there is no knowledge, no school, no respect, no medical [care], you know? […] Al Shabab killed my father, so that’s why I’m always scared, I’m always afraid of Al-Shabab…there is no life in Mogadishu.”

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Javier Alvarez/SOS MEDITERRANEE

Testimony

Syed

Syed, a 35 year-old man from Pakistan, spent five years in Libya including two years in detention in complete isolation. During these two years he suffered torture and sexual violence.