Benoit Matsha-Carpentier in Tunisia
Behind the chaos at the border, the volunteers of the Tunisian Red Crescent are working around the clock to help those who have managed to cross the line. Unfortunately, for many, this is far from being the end of the long and exhausting journey back home. They will have to now wait for hours for transport to the nearest airport.
Most of them have been walking for hours, carrying everything that is humanly possible, from a TV to a hammer. The bitter cold and rain only add to the challenge of the journey. In the desert, temperatures drop to about 4 degrees Celsius at night, which leaves the refugees exposed and at risk.
While 90 per cent of the people stranded at the border are men, some families with women and children are also making their way into Tunisia.
One of these children is Mohamed Sadok Muhamed, and today is his birthday. He is turning 12 and has just arrived from Libya. Despite the chaos, the Tunisian Red Crescent volunteers invite him and his family inside their tent to celebrate the boy’s birthday. They offered him a small gift and a yoghurt. The smile that lights up his face is enough to sustain the volunteers and his parents for the difficult day ahead.
Mohamed and his family are Sudanese. They fled the town of Zawiyah in Libya the day before, fearing for their lives. They rented a car, using what money they had left – about 200 euros – to “reach the border as soon as possible” the mother says.
They had lived in Libya for 18 years and liked it very much. They say that they may never return to their house, where they have left almost everything they own.
Mohamed, who was born in Libya 12 years ago, has never been outside its borders. He is now on the journey to discover another life back in the homeland of his parents.