By Dawda Baldeh
In November 2024, about 207 Gambian migrants, along with three Senegalese migrants, set out on a perilous boat journey with the hope of reaching Europe. This journey, which typically lasts around seven days, is often described as brutal and involves experiences of torture and even killing.
Following allegations of torture and killings of migrants during their journey across the Mediterranean, the Spanish authorities have taken action, arresting at least seven suspected boat captains in connection with the reported brutal killings.
Despite the arrival of several migrant boats in Spain over the past few months, a growing number of individuals have been reported missing, raising concerns about the safety of those who undertake the journey.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, Ebrima Drammeh, a Europe-based Gambian migration activist, revealed that the arrested captains are believed to be responsible for the deaths of over four migrants.
The situation remains dire as more stories of the migrants’ suffering come to light, highlighting the urgent need for intervention and support for those seeking refuge and a better life.
“The authorities have already arrested seven of them. They are all captains who killed the migrants,” Drammeh said.
The boat is said to have departed The Gambia in November carrying approximately 207 migrants.
In a shocking revelation, a survivor of the brutal killing informed the migrant activist that those missing were brutally killed by the boat captains.
“What happened on our boat was tragic. The captains were killing people in any way that pleased them. If you start coughing or sneezing, even vomiting, they labelled you as a witch and that would lead to your killing,” a survivor narrated, adding “most of the people killed were Fulas. What the captains did to them was brutal. They removed their eyes and beat them to death. [For] some, they cut their hands and threw them into the water.”
Furthermore, the survivor explained that even those who survived were deeply traumatized.
“Some were killed simply because they were looking at the captains while they were killing others. Seven people were killed in our boat and several others were beaten severely,” he added.
Speaking further on the brutal incident, migration activist Ebrima Drammeh, said the culprit must face justice.
“This is unacceptable, and we will get to the bottom to make sure all the perpetrators are punished,” Drammeh said in an audio shared on his Facebook page.
“Up to this day, people continue calling me regarding this incident. Some will say the boat where my sons or daughters were has since arrived, but I don’t hear from them. Sometimes I don’t know what to tell them, but it’s very painful.
“If the boat capsized, then people would know they died but if they are killed, that’s a different tragedy,” he narrated.
In a separate interview published by Ebrima migrant, another migrant survivor of the boast incident narrated similar stories.
This story also sheds more light on the darkness surrounding the migrant incident.
“They (captains) are Senegalese who brutally killed Gambian migrants. This is the sad reality.
If your relative is missing who was in a boat that departed from Senegal just know that the person is killed if the boat arrived,” a survivor said in an interview with a Bissau Guinean Online newspaper.
As of Monday 6th January 2025, Ebrima posted an update on his Facebook page regarding the incident, saying they (the culprits) will not be spared.
“I don’t like talking about tribes or religion but anyone who is involved will be punished. This is unacceptable and we will get to the bottom. You can’t kill people and go free. Every day the authorities are contacting me regarding this issue,” he said.
He also called on other survivors to reach out to him to give their testimonies.
