The Wait: Stranded Migrants Trapped in Limbo
Abdullah Yahya, a 20-year-old Sudanese migrant, recounted his harrowing experiences in Libya while sitting in a café in Zarzis, Tunisia. Captured and imprisoned by armed militias in Libya's lawless detention system, he endured severe beatings, torture, and extortion before being forced to pay substantial sums for his release—a routine practice in Libya's lucrative migrant trafficking networks.
Many migrants like Abdullah, fleeing conflict, persecution, and economic hardship in Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and other African nations, end up stranded in Zarzis after failed Mediterranean crossing attempts. This Tunisian coastal town has become an unexpected waystation for thousands of asylum seekers and economic migrants whose dreams of reaching Europe have been derailed by Libya's chaos, European border policies, and the deadly realities of Mediterranean migration routes.
This documentary photography project captures the lived experiences of migrants trapped in indefinite limbo between their countries of origin and their European destinations. Struggling with limited resources, minimal humanitarian support, and uncertain legal status, Abdullah and hundreds of others live in precarious conditions in Zarzis, a fishing town that has reluctantly become a refuge for those who cannot move forward or return home.
The work documents the psychological toll of indefinite waiting, examining how migrants survive economically and emotionally while caught between borders. From crowded informal settlements to makeshift accommodation, the images reveal the daily reality of people whose journeys have been suspended by circumstances beyond their control—border closures, lack of documentation, exhausted financial resources, or trauma from violence in Libya.
Through photojournalism, this project explores themes of displacement, statelessness, and the human cost of contemporary migration policies. The photographs capture both the vulnerability and resilience of migrants who remain largely invisible to European publics, despite their proximity to European shores across the narrow waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Zarzis, situated near major Mediterranean departure points, serves as both a sanctuary and a trap for migrants. The town's residents, fishermen, and civil society organizations provide informal support networks, but resources remain limited. Many migrants, like Abdullah, face impossible choices: attempt another dangerous sea crossing, try to build a life in Tunisia without legal status, or return to countries they fled for compelling reasons.
The project examines how Libya's collapse has transformed migration routes and created new forms of exploitation and suffering for African migrants seeking protection and opportunity in Europe. Abdullah's story represents thousands of similar testimonies of violence, detention, and survival in what has become one of the world's most dangerous migration corridors.
Zarzis, Tunisia. 2020. Done in collaboration with Sam Kimball.
