Email Gambia News to a friend
Print version
Comment on This Gambia News

Gambia: 133 Would-Be Migrants Return Home

One hundred and thirty three (133) would-be migrants have decided to throw in the towel and return home after their attempt to sail-in a make-shift boat to Spain, failed.

Five of the returnees who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, said they boarded a boat in The Gambia. They said that eight captains were on board the boat. The returnees noted that they were equipped with four engines with about one hundred containers each containing twenty litres of fuel, sardines and loaves of bread. They added that they took along about ten bags of rice, ten bags of 'garri', several 20 litre containers of cooking oil and ingredients. They added that they took along some containers of water.

They said that they sailed for five days and five nights before entering Moroccan waters. According to them, they were pushed back by strong waves which nearly sunk their boat. They reported that some of the passengers in the boat were panic stricken; that some of the passengers were on the verge of jumping into the water; that they were restrained and later tied with ropes. Continuing their narration, they said they unanimously agreed to skewer the direction of the boat and look for safety. They explained that they headed for Nouakchott and anchored at the beachside where the police rounded them and later put them under custody. They noted that they were treated well by the Mauritanian authorities, especially the police who supplied them with food and water. Explaining further, they said they spent two days with the Mauritanian police before being transported in a bus to the border town of Rosso from where they found their way to The Gambia.