Alieu begins his journey in Senegal, boarding a boat with over 250 people, all in search of a better life in Europe. What was supposed to be a seven-day trip quickly turns into a nine-day ordeal at sea.

“The boat was overcrowded,” Alieu explains, his voice filled with emotion. “People start dying one by one. They are thrown into the sea, claimed to be possessed by something. It’s horrifying. We’re starving, thirsty, and the conditions are unbearable.”

What should have been a brief journey becomes a gruelling test of endurance. Without enough food or water, Alieu and the other passengers struggle to survive. After nine long days, they finally arrive in Mauritania—exhausted, broken, and in desperate need of help.

But the suffering doesn’t end there. In Mauritania, Alieu and his fellow travellers face further hardships. “It was so hard for us,” he says.

“We were disrespected and treated terribly. We received no support from the Gambian embassy, while the Senegalese and Guineans got help from their ambassadors. We were left to fend for ourselves.”

When Alieu turns to the Gambian embassy for assistance, he’s met with disappointment. “The ambassador tells us we have to pay 700 dalasis each for transportation back home. We have no money, no way to pay. It’s as if our lives mean nothing.”

Despite promises from the government to compensate them for their suffering, Alieu claims that nothing has been done. “The government said they would compensate us, but till today, no one has fulfilled that promise. It’s been weeks, and we are still waiting.”

In a heart breaking conclusion to the interview, Alieu admits that, despite everything he has endured, he would still take the dangerous journey again.

“If another boat comes, and it promises to take us in seven days, I would go again. Because nothing works for me here in The Gambia,” he says, his words reflecting the hopelessness felt by many young Gambians who risk everything in search of a better life abroad.

Alieu’s story highlights the harsh realities faced by many West Africans attempting the “backway” route to Europe, often involving perilous sea journeys.

His experience also exposes the lack of adequate support for Gambian citizens abroad, especially when compared to the assistance provided to nationals of neighbouring countries like Senegal and Guinea.

As Alieu’s pain and struggle continue, his message serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges many young people face in The Gambia and beyond, and the extreme lengths they are willing to go to in the hopes of a better future.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba