By Buba Gagigo
Over 250 Gambian migrants, reportedly deported from Tunisia to Algeria, are urgently seeking assistance from the Gambian Government to facilitate their safe return home.
Narrating their harrowing ordeal, one of the affected migrants disclosed, “Tunisian authorities apprehended us, confiscating all our belongings, including phones, ID cards, and passports. After that, we were transported to the Algerian border and abandoned in a desolate area. Many of us sustained injuries, with broken limbs and serious wounds from the physical abuse we endured. Stranded in a desert, we have no shelter and are forced to sleep under a bridge in freezing conditions. Hunger compounds our misery as we resort to begging for food in the streets. Our numbers exceed 250, and the situation worsens as more migrants join us daily.”
This plea for help follows the tragic news of over 150 Gambians reported dead due to irregular migration, underscoring the urgency of addressing the crisis. Kerr Fatou cannot independently verify the number of migrants stranded in Algeria. The stranded migrants can be contacted via WhatsApp at +2202823358.