4 March 2026
On 24 August 2014, a boat carrying 550 migrants sank off the coast of Zuwara, Libya. While 352 passengers survived, many others drowned, and 170 people remain missing.
Over a decade later, families of the missing are still living between silence and unanswered questions, continuing their search for truth, justice, and accountability. This family-written report by the Association of Families of Missing Asylum Seekers (AFOMAS), with the support of Impunity Watch, traces the Zuwara shipwreck and its aftermath, including the long search for truth across borders, institutions, and years of uncertainty.
Drawing on survivor testimonies, family accounts, open-source information, and engagement with authorities and humanitarian organisations, the report reconstructs what is known about the incident and examines why so many questions remain unanswered.
The findings reveal:
- The obstacles families face during the search (bureaucratic, emotional, legal, and logistical)
- Gaps in coordination between humanitarian organisations, government bodies, and forensic experts
- Family-led resilience: building support networks, advocacy, and preserving memory
- Forced displacement and the drivers that push people to take irregular migration routes
It underscores states’ obligations under international maritime, human rights, and humanitarian law to rescue, search for, identify, and account for missing persons, and to communicate transparently with families. Addressing the legacy of the Zuwara shipwreck requires coordinated action to ensure truth, dignity, and accountability for the missing and those left behind.
Download (pdf 7.42 MB)