Pato wife and im five-year-old daughter die for Tunisian desert last year, on dia sixth attempt to migrate to Europe.
More dan seven years ago, Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin, aka Pato, say im run from Cameroon afta dem kill im sister and burn im house sake of say im no gree join army.
First, im go Nigeria and eventually im move to Libya, wia im live for seven years. Na dia im meet im wife, Fati, and dem born dia daughter, Marie.
Between 2016 and 2022, di family bin make five unsuccessful attempts to cross di Mediterranean to Italy, to look for beta educational opportunities for Marie.
On July 13, 2023, dem attempt to leave Libya a sixth time, crossing di border into Tunisia. But Pato say Tunisian authorities bin push dem back inside desert.
- How luxury yacht sink wit tech billionaire Mike Lynch and 21 odas
- ‘I don dey sleep under Lagos bridge for 30 years’
- Why dangerous journey to Europe through Sahara Desert dey Ahmed eye despite im mama advice
On July 15, dem cross border again to seek medical help, but police drive dem back inside desert.
“Death dey come towards you slowly,” im tok, as im remember di conditions for desert.
Dem no get food, water, or compass for 40°C heat.
Struggling to survive and feeling like say im wan die, Pato bin stay behind tinkin say im wife and daughter get a beta chance to make am to safety witout am.
“Heat dey suffocated you. You dey veri thirsty. You no get any strength.”
“Di only tin you want na make death come quick. But e dey so slow, e dey like say scavengers dey eat you. Na di worst pain I don go through for my life,” im tok.
‘Death dey come towards you slowly’
Afta we lie for desert for a day, Oda migrants rescue Pato. Im return to Tripoli to search for im family. Days later, one of im friend show am photos on social media of two lifeless bodies we dey lie for desert. Immediately im recognise im daughter and wife cloth.
Pato continue to try to make am to Europe, finally im reach Italy through di Mediterranean.
Now im dey hold a temporary resident permit and im dey wait for asylum. Im don dey learn welding and im dey wait for di beginning of the school year to take language classes. Im say im wan get a normal life.
‘Na feeling of pain, I dey feel pain inside of me. And I also sometimes dey blame mysef say I no dey dia while dem suffer. I dey angry wit life,’ Im tok.
Migration crisis
Di number of Africans wey dey travel to North Africa hoping to migrate to Europe dey rise.
For 2023, di UNHCR bin register 209 per cent more refugees for Tunisia dem dan bin do for 2020.
Many dey run sake of di bad security situation for dia home kontris.
According to one joint report wey di UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and di Mixed Migration Centre (MMC) bin publish for 2024, dem say almost five million pipo dey displaced sake of di new palava for di Sahel.
Dis number don increase sake of di conflict for Sudan wey break out for April 2023. According to di United Nations Office for di Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs humanitarian partners, ova 10 million Sudanese don run from dia homes, including more dan 5 million children – and ova 2 million pipo don cross into neighbouring kontris.
“On land, we dey see large-scale displacement wey come out from two crises, di Sahel, di war in Mali and Burkina Faso, and on di oda side of Africa, di war for Sudan,” Vincent Cochetel tok – im be UNHCR Special Envoy for di Western and Central Mediterranean Situation.
Di UNHCR say pipo also dey run sake of droughts and flooding wey climate change cause for di East and Horn of Africa.
But despite di high risks of crossing di desert, di attraction of Libya informal job market and dia close geographical location to Europe go continue to attract thousands wey dey hope for safety, work, education or family reunification.
Di road to Libya
Di road most migrants dey take go Libya dey start for Burkina Faso or Mali. From dia dem go cross enta Niger, bifor dem enta Libya either directly across dia southern border, or through Algeria.
Smugglers wey dey cross Niger go only take migrants as far as Libya border. Afta di migrants cross, anoda set of traffickers go take charge of dem, most times dem dey keep dem for di south of di kontri for long periods of time.
‘Many of dem, dem dey exploit dem for southern Libya wit forced labour and sexual exploitation for many of di women,” Vincent Cochetel of UNHCR tok.
Cochetel say economic opportunities plenty for dose wey dey cross into Libya dan for neighbouring Tunisia, wia backlash against migrants dey. But also e dey dangerous.
“Sometimes traffickers dey hold dem for ransom dem go kon post video on social media to coerce families to send money,” im tok.
Di rights group Amnesty International get document of abuse against migrants by armed groups and di Libyan security forces.
“Dis include arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture,” na so Olivia Sundberg Diez, Amnesty International’ EU advocate on migration and asylum, tok.
Death for desert
According to di independent data and research body, Mixed Migration Platform (MMP), more migrants don die from crossing di Mediterranean dan crossing di Sahara.
Between 2021 and 2024, 1,031 migrants according to reports bin die for desert compared to 8,381 for sea.
But dis figures no dey tell di whole story.
“We get one pesin out of four wey tell us say dem know of someone wey die for desert,” Vincent Cochetel of UNHCR tok.
“Dem don see someone dem witness am personally, somebody wey either bin dey abandoned by di trafficker, or fallen off from truck, or na somebody wey bin dey sick wey dem abandon.”
“Wen it comes to shipwrecks, we get numbers, we get more precise data. We no get way wey we dey calculate death for desert. But from di testimonies, we believe say more deaths dey happun for desert,” im tok.
Cochetel say one key issue na lack of protection for pipo wey dey cross into Libya.
“Seventy-nine per cent of di pipo wey don arrive Europe tell us say if to say dem bin know about di risks along di route, dem for no undertake di dangerous journey,” Im tok.
BBC bin contact di Libyan Ministry of Interior and di Tunisian Ministry of Interior for comment, but BBC no receive any reply.
Pato say di memory of im daughter Marie dey ginger am: ‘Marie bin dey dream to be a boxer. She bin dey tell me say wen she grow up, she go become a world champion,” im tok.
“She bin dey full of life. Wen tins dey go badly, she be my source of motivation.”
- Sudan War: ‘I tink say I no get future’
- Sudan war: ‘I dey fear say di fighting go continue for years’
- Kontris begin put in place health measures to control spread of Mpox
