“I would like to know: will life in Europe be like in Libya?”
Ishar* and Amir* talk about fleeing from Burkina Faso via Libya to Europe. They tell their story and how fleeing across the Central Mediterranean was the only way to escape the violence in Libya. They were rescued by the crew of Humanity 1 in May 2024.
*Names have been changed and both survivors are not shown on the pictures to protect their identity.
Ishar: I am 24 years old, and I am from Burkina Faso. After I obtained my school certificate, I went to college to continue my studies, with the help of my parents. Frankly, they didn’t have the means, but my parents were doing all they could to sustain me, through agriculture and farming. I managed to study until college but then they had to sell their cattle. I wanted to study until I got my degree. Because I really loved school, I was the one in my family “chosen” to go to Europe and the others were left behind. But the crisis of 2015 in the country, the lack of means and internal displacement caused us to leave.
Amir: In Burkina Faso I was a student. After high school, I studied to get a degree. But I did not have enough money to fund my education. Because of the crisis and internal displacement, we were forced to stop school to be able to help our family, who are left behind in Burkina Faso. We had to go to the West. We tried several times. The last time, luckily, it worked.
Ishar: There are countries [in Africa] that are not in a crisis, because they are better run. But you cannot go there. Once you get there, people don’t even look at you. They don’t even try to understand you. Maybe in Europe, it could be better.
If you are going to stay at home and cry, you have to get up to take a risk. If God has helped you, you are going to help others.
First, we wanted to go through Tunisia. From Burkina Faso to Tunisia, it took us a month. When you leave Burkina Faso, you first have to cross Niger with pickup trucks through the Sahara Desert. We also spent a week in Algeria. Leaving Algeria, we crossed the border to Tunisia. Some were repatriated, 60 people (out of 80) remained in Tunisia. And then I said, we don’t have a choice. We have to try to cross. We got into a boat with 40 other people. The boat had an engine which was much too weak, so we couldn’t really sail. The Tunisian National Guard “found” us on the water.
Amir: We were caught, we spent two days in prison in Tunisia before being brought to Libya.
Ishar: We were brought to Libya, to a prison there. We were threatened and extorted. We paid 3,000 Dinar to escape.
They brought us to the house of a Libyan. There, the chickens were big and there were trees everywhere. But we didn’t have anything to eat. We would come and wash their feet, everything. And then we cleaned the garden. We watered the plants that are in the house. Just to be allowed to sleep. It was not a job. Then two Burkinabé people who live in Libya saw us sleeping in the streets and looking for a job, so they welcomed us for a week to get food and a shower. We spoke the same language: Mòoré.
To get food is very difficult. There is no work. When the guards capture us, we are sent to a prison. There you are beaten until you pay again. There was nothing to eat. We cried there together.
Ishar: During those five months, we suffered a lot in Libya. There is no security there; all the time we heard gunshots. You can’t go out, if you go even 100 meters, you have to run for your life. There is no place to look for a job. You cannot find a normal job; normally they say they would pay 100 dinars, but then they give you 20 dinars. You don’t have a choice. If you talk, you are beaten. So, often, you go to work and there’s no money. We didn’t know whom to talk to, who could help us. So we decided we had to leave.
Amir: We tried to find a solution. Before you cross, there are plenty of risks. So, we also took our time. We had to be well-informed about whether a boat was setting off, to not be subjected to the same risk [of being caught]. This time, we took a long time to find a good boat.
Ishar: We met Cameroonians and asked them how to cross the sea. It’s through this that we had a little bit of information. Six of us joined forces to collect money together to try crossing the sea. We “launched” [from Tripoli]. The three of us, we didn’t have anything to eat for one week before departure. The other people we travelled with had water and biscuits. We left. We called a person from Cameroon we knew in Libya over the phone. We were still in contact, but it was a normal phone, it wasn’t a satellite phone, and then the battery went flat.
We were looking for ships, but we couldn’t see anything. At that point we just wanted to be safe, no matter who would rescue us. The sea was crazy, lots of waves. When we saw your ship [Humanity 1], we thought at first it was the Libyan Coast Guard. But once we saw the fast boats [the RHIBs] coming, we knew we were going to be rescued. That was a moment of joy. It was a little paradise, I would say. We were very happy. Once we get to Europe, I will be able to do something to support my family. Because that’s what is most important.
Amir: We can thank God for being here now [on board Humanity 1]. We are all equal, [the same people]. My dream is to be able to support my family, people who can’t meet their needs; and if it is possible as well, to support anyone else that needs help. I would like to know: will life in Europe be like in Libya?
This interview was conducted and recorded in French in May 2024 by communications coordinator Sofia Bifulco onboard Humanity 1.
