Meet Ibrahim, a Gay Sudanese Youth Brutalized Under U.N. Care at Kakuma
He was almost killed for being gay, his father was murdered for the “crimes” of the son, and the brutality he lives with at the Kakuma Refugee Center in Kenya will stun you
I was assaulted … inside the camp, which caused me paralysis in the northern half of my body, and my partner was stabbed in the stomach, and I did not get any help from the doctor…
— Ibrahim [family name withheld], 21-year-old gay refugee at the UNHCR Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya
Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and accounts of violence, including murder and rape.
In a different universe, Ibrahim’s story might be romantic and inspiring. He’s a 21-year-old man who fell in love at the age of 15 with Asim, a boy at his high school in the East African nation of Sudan. Despite great adversity, they kept their love alive. Even after they were discovered and separated, they found a way to meet again, like star crossed lovers.
But that was six years ago, and this story is no romance.
Today, Ibrahim has a different partner, a young man who fled anti-gay persecution in Yemen, halfway around the world from…
