By: Dawda Baldeh
Approximately two hundred stranded Gambian migrants, attempting to reach Europe via Tunisia, are grappling with the looming threat of starving to death in the desert if Gambian authorities fail to come to their rescue amidst police interference between Tunisia and Algeria.
According to one of the stranded migrants, they had acquired documents from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and were awaiting possible repatriation before being apprehended by the police.
“We are around two hundred stranded Gambian migrants who have been captured by the police. They have loaded us onto a bus and are planning to dump us at an unknown destination. If we are abandoned in the desert, some of us will starve to death. Even if you show them your IOM-issued documents, the police don’t care,” expressed one migrant in a WhatsApp audio obtained by The Fatu Network.
These migrants, predominantly in their youthful age, urgently appeal to Gambian authorities for prompt intervention.
This police action has left the stranded migrants, who were hoping to enter Europe through alternative routes, in a state of uncertainty.
Recently, a boat carrying over one hundred migrants capsized on its way to Spain, resulting in the tragic loss of more than twenty-one Gambian lives.
It is widely known that young people from Gambia undertake this perilous journey, which continues to claim lives and lead to the untimely separation of families and loved ones.
