'I thought I'd die on journey to London fleeing war - I'm now sleeping in a tent on the street waiting for a better future'

It’s a rainy Spring morning in King’s Cross as people rush into the station to take shelter from the weather. Along with neighbouring St Pancras, the area’s long been frequented by passengers with large suitcases as they embark on journeys across the UK and Europe.

But over the past few decades, regeneration has seen it move away from its sole identity as a train terminal. Glass-clad skyscrapers, paved walkways and expensive coffee shops can now be found in the post-industrial area near Regent’s Canal as it’s become a hub for big business.

Google, Siemens and Universal Music all now have headquarters in the exclusive Pancras Square illustrating the area’s transformation. But among this wealth and line of glamorous offices you’ll notice a small collection of tents pitched up in the corner of the square.

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Positioned on the hard concrete outside a Camden Council building, it’s home to a collection of refugees awaiting a response to their applications to live and work in Britain. Among them Sabber Zidin sits in a small camping chair perched up against the glass.

Just about out of reach from the early-May showers pouring over London, he plays music from a speaker standing next to his nylon tent. He told MyLondon he dreams of becoming a rapper, but says his living situation and lack of access to a studio has made this incredibly difficult. Sabber was forced to flee his home in Darfur, in western Sudan, due to a civil war which has raged in the region for his entire life.

After travelling north to Libya, he made multiple attempts to travel in a small boat to Italy before travelling through Europe to Calais where he crossed on another small boat to the Kent coast in 2021. “The hardest part of my journey was crossing the Mediterranean Sea,” he said. “It took me eight separate attempts over three years to get to Italy. Libya is an incredibly dangerous country, I thought I was going to die multiple times.”

Upon arriving in England, Sabber was housed in a hotel, attending Westminster Kingsway College near King’s Cross station to study English. But since he was made to leave the hotel on February 27, he’s been sleeping on the streets while he awaits to find out if he'll be allowed permanent accommodation.

“I have no idea when I can get somewhere to live,” he adds. “If I got it I’d go to college and get a part-time job. I was a carpenter in my country so I would love to do that again. I can’t go back to my college yet. You need to have a shower and have clean clothes. If I had a place to live I’d go tomorrow.”

Sabber told MyLondon the majority of people camped outside Camden Council’s offices are from Sudan, Eritrea or another part of the Central or East African regions. He says they initially stayed in Camden Gardens, but had to move because it was unsafe. Drunk people walking past would attack him or other homeless people sleeping nearby, while one fellow rough sleeper had all of his belongings stolen, which included his residence permit and bank card.

Under the name Saber sk, he launched his rap career in London and hopes finding accommodation will help with this. His YouTube channel has amassed 5,000 subscribers, with one music video receiving more than 50,000 views.

Despite escaping the war in Darfur, Sabber said one of the hardest things about living in London is being away from his family who live in a refugee camp in Sudan. He said: “I have no means of contacting them. I’d love to speak to them again, I haven’t been able to for the last six months. It makes me very sad.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said:“We are saddened and alarmed that Mr Zidin and hundreds of refugees across the capital are sleeping rough after leaving Home Office hotels. They have been let down, and we are calling on the Government to improve the service offered to them.

“We are working closely to support the people who are sleeping rough into safe accommodation – each person has a case worker who is offering direct support.

“The Home Office has given asylum seekers too short notice to move out of hotels and find accommodation – this, coupled with the high costs of living in London and the lack of support within hotels, is leading to more of these situations.

“Camden is stepping in to try and prevent this happening by providing dedicated employment and welfare support and helping people find suitable accommodation.”

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