Japa: I cleaned bullets daily in Libya, slept in the middle of bombs – Survivor
Alagie Kanteh, a human trafficking survivor, has recounted his harrowing experiences while attempting to migrate to Europe. The only survivor among 11 individuals trafficked to Italy, Kanteh shared his ordeal at an ECOWAS Parliament meeting with youths in Banjul, The Gambia.
He added that he had a terrible experience when he made it to Libya, where he lived for four years from 2005 to 2009 before he returned to The Gambia.
According to the Italian returnee who left his country en route to Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso, it was a miracle that he was still alive.
According to him, “In Libya, we were arrested and kept in the cell for nine months. I couldn’t communicate with anybody in The Gambia.
“I was taken to Misrata-Misrata, a city in north-western Libya situated 187 km to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast to work.
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“For six months, I was cleaning their bullets. I was sleeping in the place where they kept their bombs before I eventually ran away”.
He said earlier in Burkina Faso, they were attacked by bandits and taken to a cell where they were requested to pay 10,000 CFA before they were allowed to rejoin the bus they were travelling in.
“Then, we went to Agadez and met around 60 people there who joined us on the journey. Bandits attacked us and asked us all to get naked. They searched all of us and took all our money. We were naked from morning to evening”, he added.
Kanteh, who is now married with children, said he witnessed many deaths on his way to Italy.
He added that “As of now if you give me a visa, I am not going anywhere. I don’t have anything here, but I have peace.”
According to reports, despite recorded numbers of deaths, many Nigerians have continued to take the dangerous sea trip to Europe.
Described as “suicide mission”, many African migrants faced physical and emotional traumas travelling perilous routes, including the Sahara Desert.
_Cc: Daily Trust_
Written by Sakinat Musa Abubakar, Editor at Neptune Prime
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