Migrants trade tales of hope and despair in African desert town
Agadez (Niger) (AFP) - In a dusty town on the edge of the Sahara Desert, migrants waiting to be whisked away towards a new life in North Africa or Europe cross paths with others who have returned destitute and devoid of all illusions.
Ousmane Balde has just hopped off a bus from Senegal after a week-long trip through Mali and Burkina Faso to get to Agadez in northern Niger. Once a crossroads on an ancient traders' route, today the town is a hub for illegal migrants.
For Ousmane it is the first leg of a gruelling voyage he hopes will end on the shores of Italy.
The hardest part still lies ahead.
Many of those who went before him died crossing the desert. After that he must navigate war-torn Libya, the staging post for Mediterranean crossings, and then -- most terrifying of all -- survive the sea voyage to Europe in one of the rickety boats that have cost some 1,800 migrants their lives so far this year. ...
Posts
