Somali migrant recounts torture in Libya but says hope for a better life still drives him

Somali migrant Mohamed Abdi Awale says his dream of reaching the United States has survived a brutal journey across Africa, months of torture by smugglers, and detention in Libya. Awale is among 165 Somalis recently repatriated after enduring harrowing conditions while attempting to reach Europe.

Awale says his childhood dream was to live in America, but U.S. restrictions under former president Donald Trump pushed him to attempt a dangerous overland route instead. “My long-term dream since childhood has been to live in the U.S., but when Trump came to power, my hope of going there was dashed because he hates foreigners,” he said. “I still hold on to the hope of going to the U.S., and I believe that will happen after Trump’s term expires.”

His journey took him through Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan, before smugglers captured him near the Libya border and took him to Kufra, a notorious hub for trafficking networks. There, he says torture was routine. Captors filmed him being beaten to demand ransom from his family.

His mother, Hawo Elmo Rage, recalls the fear when smugglers sent her a video of her son screaming in pain. “They threatened me and instructed me to send the money,” she said. “As a poor woman, I couldn’t afford the ransom, so I reached out to all Somalis, begging for help. Thankfully, they responded, and my son was released after we paid $17,000.”

After his release, Awale attempted to continue toward the Mediterranean coast, but the journey deteriorated further — the group walked more than two weeks through the desert, facing starvation, before being detained near Tripoli. He spent three months in various detention centers before finally being flown home in November.

Awale is one of hundreds of thousands of Somalis who have fled decades of conflict and hardship. While many seek safety in neighboring countries, others — like him — still dream of the West despite rising barriers.

His mother hopes he will now stay in Somalia but understands his yearning. “I know he wishes for a better life,” she said. “I pray God gives him a safe future — not the dangerous one he found.”