As the cost of the menance of the backway to Europe continue to cause havoc in communities up and down the country, this medium is saddened to report that Saffie Jallow from Gunjur has been confirmed to be among the youths who have perished in the sea as they attempt to enter Spain on board wooden boats as reported by Ebrima Migrants Situations who monitors the routes to Europe using the backway.
Kombo South, particularly continue to bear the brunt to the devastation of the backway route to Europe as hundreds of the crème of this region have died in the high seas as they embark on the perilous journey for greener pastures.
Twenty seven youths from neighbouring Kartong and thirty from Jambour are also confirmed to have all perished in the boat that left the shores of Gambia on 14th October 2023. The boat carrying these migrants capsized off the coast of Mauritania as they tried to reach Spain, confirmed Ebrima Migrants Situations in an audio message to families.
As at now, there are still hundreds of unaccounted youths who have taken this route to Europe, but families have no information about their whereabouts.
On 8th November 2021, about 200 youths, majority of whom are from Gunjur and the neighbouring settlements left Gunjur beach on a fishing boat for Spain. Two years on, no one knows whereabouts of the occupants of that faithful boat. Last month, Bakary Touray and Alasana Janneh both died as they tried to reach Spain onboard a fishing boat that left Gunjur. The same week, a decomposed body of a young man was discovered on Gunjur beach. He was believed to have died as he tried to travel to Europe through the backway.
The irregular migration route to mainland Spain is having devastating effects on communities up and down the country. The government of The Gambia has recently announced the drafting of a law seeking to prosecute anyone caught transporting the youths on board fishing boats to Europe.