Eritrean refugees, trapped and tortured in the Sinai desert, reach out to an activist radio host in Sweden.

Since Europe closed its borders in 2006, thousands of Eritreans have tried to flee to Israel by crossing the Sinai desert. But in the Sinai, many are kidnapped by Bedouins and taken to one of the hidden camps where their families are then extorted for ransom.

Swedish-based Eritrean radio host and human rights activist Meron Estefanos publishes the stories of these camps while recording hostages’ live pleas for help.

I thought it would only be one call. But the hostages saved my number, it circulated from one group to another in different torture camps, and they would call me to tell their stories.

Meron Estefanos, journalist and human rights activist – Read the full interview with Meron Estefanos

Estefanos produces her radio programme “Voices of Eritreans” from Stockholm. The weekly broadcast is devoted entirely to the hundreds of Eritrean refugees held hostage in wretched conditions in the Sinai desert.

The Bedouins have held sway in the desert ever since the Egyptian revolution, so they kidnap Eritreans making their way to Israel (as a gateway to the West) and demand large ransoms from their families.

We follow Estifanos in her attempts to turn the tide by making telephone contact with hostages and kidnappers alike during her radio show.
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