TRIGGER WARNING: The following reading includes stories of rape, murder, and torture. Therefore, the content is disturbing and might be harmful or traumatising to some readers. If you believe the reading will be traumatising for you, do not read further.
By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Gang-raping a girl until she died, stabbing others in their neck and eyes, and jettisoning a young boy off the boat for allegedly being a witch, an ambitious ‘backway’ returnee who vowed never to return narrated macabre tales of deaths and rape on a boat bound for the Canary Island in Spain from Senegal, where six young Gambians were allegedly murdered.
Baboucarr Badjie is a 29-year-old tailor with a wife and four children. He decided to take the perilous ‘backway’ journey on October 29, hoping to reach Europe. Just like over 200 Gambians who lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the start of this year, Badjie embarked on this journey to improve his family’s financial situation.
This journey, undertaken through irregular routes, has resulted in heart-wrenching consequences, leaving families shattered and communities grappling with the impact of lives lost at sea and in the unforgiving desert.
In 2023, more than 200 Gambian youths perished at sea. The nation was deeply affected by the tragic loss of these young lives as boats from the coastal towns and villages of Kartong, Bakau, Bafuloto and Gunjur went missing or capsized. This ongoing national tragedy has had devasting consequences. On October 14, a particularly tragic incident occurred when a boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the loss of 190 lives.
Motivation to Embark On the Journey
Most of the young people who embark on the dangerous journey of irregular migration are forced by the harsh realities of limited opportunities and economic hardships in their country.
Bakary, despite being self-employed, was not satisfied with his income. According to him, he was inspired by seeing his childhood friends use the same route and achieve success in Europe. Badjie hoped to follow in their footsteps and make a better future for his family.
“I felt like I was behind. I have seen all my childhood friends who used the way and now doing big things for their families, going and coming almost every time. I have my skills as a tailor, but the work is seasonal. That’s the reason I also felt like, let me embark on this journey,” Badjie told The Fatu Network.
On a particular night in October 2023, Badjie and many other Gambian youths boarded a boat in Sukuta, a village in Senegal, with other Gambians. The captains, he told The Fatu Network, were all Senegalese nationals.
Horrendous and Despicable Acts on The Boat
Badjie, visibly emotional, narrated to The Fatu Network the horrendous and despicable acts that had happened on the boat, leading to the killings of some Gambians.
“The first person who died was a young boy. He fell asleep on the boat and when he abruptly woke up, he was terrified and said that he wanted to go back to his mother. When he said that, the captains said he was a witch, and they started hitting him hard. They later tied him, and anytime the wind blew to a certain extent, these captains would say that happened because of the boy, and they [would go] back and hit him again. [This happened] until he died,” he narrated, adding that his body was thrown into the sea a day after he was killed.
Following that tragic incident, another Gambian, whom Badjie identified as a soldier who did not want to mention his name during the journey because he did not inform his family or friends that he was embarking on such a journey, felt bad and punched one of the captains for what they did to the young Gambian. Moments later, they attacked him too, and eventually killed him.
“He was first stabbed in the eyes. This is a man who said his parents had only him, and he was married with a kid. Blood was pouring from his eyes, and I had to give him my shirt. Later, around 5 a.m., they came back and stabbed him in the head. That was it. He told me that he was not going to make it, that’s how he [took] his last breath,” said Badjie as he took a moment of silence, struggling to hide his emotions.
Gang Raping a Lady
This journey is not only for the male folk. Quite numerous ladies have equally embarked on the journey. The few that succeeded have inspired many ladies to follow suit. On the boat that Badjie was in, Badjie witnessed the tragic loss of a young lady.
According to him, the third person who was killed was a young Gambian lady who was gang-raped by the captains until she died.
“There was nowhere to lie [her] down. They would bend her and rape her one after the other. The lady was tired and was complaining. They [kept raping] her continuously until the lady could not breathe anymore and fell on the floor of the boat. She died,” he narrated.
Three other Gambians were also murdered, including a boy who was stabbed in the neck by the captains believed to be Senegalese nationals.
Badjie, who vowed never to return on such a journey, said he did not know the names of all those who were murdered because none of them was willing to say their names.
He told The Fatu Network that as they reached the Moroccan waters, a group of Gambians aboard threatened the captains in Wolof that they would report them to the authorities upon reaching their destination. Fearing the consequences, the captains turned back and headed back to Senegal instead of continuing their journey to Europe for greener pastures.
What is Next for Bakary After His Return?
When he was planning to fund his journey to the Canary Island, Bakary sold his tailoring machines and other valuable materials. Ever since he returned, Bakary has been constantly indoors with no working tools. His life has taken a new path with no income of his own.
“Right now, my life has taken a massive step backward. I sold my sewing machines and went with all the money I had on me. Now, I depend on my wife, whose uncle owns a shop in a nearby house. I need help at least to get the material to start,” he narrated.
Human Cost: A Single Mother Explains the Disappearance of Her Son
Awa Barry, a 43-year-old woman who lives in Brikama said her son joined a boat in Gunjur in October 2023 and nothing has been heard about him. She has searched for information everywhere but still, there is no information about her son.
“My life is a sorry life. He’s my eldest son, someone who has reached a state to help me, but fate will not allow that. I have given up in my search for him. He said the journey would not be more than eight days, and now it is over a month. I think he died,” a sorrowful mother narrated to TFN.
The boat her son boarded was referred to as the ‘Faye Kunda Boat’ in Gunjur with close to 150 people onboard. The boat left Gunjur on the night of October 17 and is rumoured to have disappeared with no trace.
Yaya Sowe, a resident of Gunjur, feared that the boat capsized. If this turns out to be true, it will be the second such tragic boat disaster in Gunjur after a boat believed to have over 200 people capsized.
Statistics on Gambian Migrants from January 2024 to November 2024
Ebrima Drammeh, a Gambian migrant concentrating on migration issues, particularly concerning boats from the Gambia, reported that 221 Gambians perished at sea while 36 died on land across various countries. He told TFN that 88 Gambians were unaccounted for after embarking on a boat from Mbour, Senegal, on the 30th of October and the 6th of September, respectively.
