All Africa
The Daily Observer (Banjul)
BY YUNUS SALIU
Sometimes it is always hard to convince youth especially when their minds are made up. This is one of the reasons the issue of illegal migration is becoming more alarming in the society and parts of the region we are. Some migrants already convicted themselves negatively thinking they will never make it in their motherland unless they sail to Europe, America or wherever, afar from their fatherland, Africa.
It is always ‘I have an ambition,’ what ambition?’I must travel to Europe.’ This is what we all refer to as Europe syndrome. But it is not always easy these days! What you will hear next is an answer that always seal their ears from advice and this answer often come from traffickers. ‘I have a solution that can help you meet your ambition.’ What a solution, it is nothing better than since it is impossible to get a visa to country of their choice in Europe or America they can take them through stowaway popularly called ‘back way.’
In the past going to Europe is always a dream of many African youth to step into European countries to study or visit during the holidays. But now many of the African youth is to enter and fetch for greener pasture. Inability to secure a visa, most of the youth in the past ten years or so to date has chosen back way as an alternative means to enter Europe. This alternative route is through sahara – desert and sea crossing which is full of risk.
Travelling to abroad through one of the above routes is like condemning oneself to death because you will experience starvation, death, rebels, rape and ill-health among others. Tell me your destination and I will tell you the easiest route to it. This is what some of the traffickers known as connection men will ask from any of their clients that wish to travel by land or sea. They talk with sugar coated mouth to cajole people. They lied on this in order to get their daily bread at same time make a lot of money from their passengers that they normally called trolley.
However, if your route to Europe is Italy you will go through desert which means you have to travel up to one of the North African countries to connect or catch-on with your boat as follows: The Gambia-Senegal-Mali-Niger-Algeria/Tunisia/Libya-Italy. So Niger is like a stopover where you will be connected to North Africa, Algeria/Tunis/Libya. Your trip through and to any of the above mentioned route without proper document is nothing than false smiles with sufferings.
Since the over 50 would be illegal migrants arrested in the North Bank border planned was to go Europe if they can make it to Libya then my first focus route is Gambia-Libya-Europe. Let us follow it step by step so that the big risk undertaken by friends, families, and neighbours before arrive in Europe can be understood if God will.
The Gambia to Senegal is by ferry, Senegal to Mali by train, Mali to Niger by bus, but Niger to Libya is by big lorry or jeep called ‘combined.’And this lorry/jeep will drive days and nights through the desert with lots of stress and bitterness experience by the passengers. It is worth knowing that each of the combined will carry nothing less than 130-150 passengers. And if it is an open jeep it will carry between 25 and 30 passengers. In the lorry or jeep, passengers are jam-packed like just the same way fish are packed in a tin without breathing space.If you are lucky to enter Libya you escape a number of hazards. Although it is not possible that everyone will make it through the desert without problem or bad story to tell.
However, if is Spain you want to go your route must take the following channel: Gambia-Senegal-Morocco/Mauritania and Spain from there you will proceed straight to Barcelona or Barsha that is if you are able to scale through. This perilous journey will might be excited up to a certain stage still it is not less than what you can described as suffering and smiling.
Before the discovery of Morocco route, travellers in the past went through Nouakchott, Mauritania capital. Later Morocco overtook Mauritania as it comes to limelight for the African youths to travel abroad. Everyone knows that this is a journey of death, though we may call it survival by the fittest but it is risky and as well portray the passengers in a wrong way.
Since the discovery of this illegal and dangerous route one hundred black men and few women are often crammed together in lorry passing the desert and in a small boat crossing a patch of the wild Atlantic. Both the Spanish and Italian naval officers will know how many arrive, but would not ascertain the number of loss.
And none of these passengers dare send message back home to inform parents of those that met their untimely death in quest for entry into Europe. This is no time for imagination; the panic on this journey has dominated the airwaves and our newsprint. In our local press both radios and newspapers, it is a front page news and headline on the radios. In spite of authorities’ efforts to clamp down on the illegal immigrants and persuade the routes have simply pushed more of the migrants out to sea.
Some years back, probably many of the youths struggling to go abroad might be 10-15 years old, according to an old man if you go to Senegal, Mali and Mauritania and interview young men and women who were planning to cross the desert, you will find a trafficker hiding somewhere to receive them and put them in a truck and drive them up to any of this North Africa. Even to push them through the Mediterranean coast and drive them up to somewhere else where they will engage them in menial jobs.
Does any of the intended traveller remember that ‘Toubab’ like to come to our country or Africa in general but do not like this massive African influx into their own countries. They see us African as a bottom less pit. With the above we are made to known that illegal travelling has long been an exploitative business that one need to desist from.
Now busses load of illegal migrants as we can read from the Daily Observer last months were intercepted by officials from the Gambia Immigration Department in North Bank and all the would be immigrants claimed going to Libya to work and travel to Europe. None of the arrested guys has a genuine document to travel. Society does not discourage the African youths from travelling but let all travelling we do be done in a genuine manner and with good cause.
In Africa they praise you when you succeed despite the fat that it is illegal but when you are captured they change the tune of their praise to blame and make mockery of you. Whatever, travelling by sea or land to Europe is risky, the youth should resist the overwhelming urge of travelling to Europe, via the Canary’s Islands and seek legal means of migration in order to protect the integrity and reputation of this lovely nation, The Gambia. If you fail to do this, you will end up in misery.
For comments & contributions call: (+220)7669087 / 9147146 / 3024158 Or Email: yunus2kay@yahoo.com
.
