Alagie Kanteh, a survivor of human trafficking, shared his harrowing journey from The Gambia to Europe during a recent ECOWAS Parliament meeting with youth in Banjul.
Kanteh, the only survivor among 11 individuals trafficked to Italy, recounted his ordeal, emphasizing the life-threatening risks faced by those seeking a better future.
Speaking candidly at the meeting, Kanteh described his travels through Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso, noting that it was nothing short of a miracle that he had survived the treacherous journey.
His account painted a grim picture of the dangers encountered along the way, particularly during his time in Libya, where he lived for four years from 2005 to 2009.
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.
“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.”