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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.  

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Testimony

Jahia

Jahia *, 22 years old, from Cameroun, was one of the 295 people rescued by the team of the Ocean Viking between April 24 and April 27. Jahia was rescued from a rubber boat in distress along with...
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Testimony

Zidane

Zidane*, 31 years old, from Yemen, was one of the 555 people rescued by the team of the Ocean Viking between July 31st and August 1st. Zidane was rescued from a wooden boat in distress along with...
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Testimony

Hassan

20-year-old Hassan fled from Liberia to Libya via Guinea, Mali and Algeria. He was intercepted by the Libyan Coastguard and sent to detention twice before he was rescued by the Ocean Viking in...
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Testimony

Favour

[TRIGGER WARNING] This text describes acts of physical and sexual violence as well as slavery. Favour*, from Nigeria, was 23 years old when he was rescued from distress at sea by the team of the...
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Testimony

Sabtou

[TRIGGER WARNING] This text describes acts of torture. Sabtou* is 15 years old, from Somalia. He has been rescued by the Ocean Viking from a large wooden boat in distress during the night between...
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Testimony

Rita

[Content warning] The following text mentions general violence. When the Ocean Viking reached port in Sicily to disembark the survivors in January 2021, police officers, officials from the...