Sudanese migrants share hopes for 2026 aboard Ocean Viking

Days after leaving the Libyan coast on a makeshift boat, a group of Sudanese shipwreck survivors shared a hot meal for New Year’s Eve aboard the humanitarian ship known as Ocean Viking.

It comes after they fled Sudan, which is in the grips of a civil war and is facing what the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The rescued migrants shared their hopes for the new year; among them was Mohamed, who said, "I hope that the whole world will be safe and peaceful, nothing more. That all people will be stable, even in their own countries, that people will live well and that there will be human rights, as they say, for good — but that good will be for the whole world, God willing."

The rescue marks the resumption of Ocean Viking’s operations, after the the NGO announced the completion of repairs and enhanced training for crews.

It’s a welcome relief for those who were rescued, says Mossua, a Sudanese survivor. "Praise God from the Ocean Viking, and all my thanks go to the crew of the Ocean Viking who rescued us, did their duty, supported us, and brought us back to life. In Libya, people who were seeking life died — we too were dead, but we seek life, praise be to God, we sought life and we found it," he exclaimed.

Back last August, Ocean Viking suffered an unprecedented attack when it was fired upon by the Libyan coast guard in international waters. In spite of legal action and public criticism, calls for accountability in the attack remain so far unanswered.