At 5:00 am on a windy weekend morning, 257 people went to sea
onboard an old and unseaworthy boat from Janzour, 15 km west of the
Libyan capital, Tripoli. They were heading for the Italian island
of Lampedusa on a smuggler's boat. Twelve hours later 21 of them
were in a Libyan centre for irregular migrants, the rest were dead.
Here, the stories of two of the survivors, including an
unaccompanied minor, is told to IOM's Michele Bombassei.

Bilal is 15.  He left his country, Gambia, eight months ago
together with a friend. In his mind is Italy and the dream of a
good salary and a nice house to live in. With 35,000 Gambia Dalasi
in his pocket, the equivalent of USD 1,300, he crosses Senegal,
Mali, Niger before finally entering Libya. The first part of the
journey is easy – the same language, no need for a visa,
regular means of transportation. But when he leaves Agadez, in the
north-east of Niger and a gateway to the Sahara, things suddenly
become tough.

Traveling on a truck, he crosses the desert, following the
ancient route that once was the exclusive domain of Tuaregs and
Berbers: Dirkou, Gatroum and finally Sabha, in the south-west of
Libya. The last part of the trip is not as wild as the other stages
but it can be equally dangerous. Bilal travels the 800 km from
Sabha to Tripoli in the back of a van, hidden under some things
after paying nearly USD 80 to reach the northern edge of
Africa.

Once in Tripoli, Bilal moves alone. He finds a place in a room
to be shared with another 15 people. Another USD 80 for the rent.
Thanks to some petty jobs like washing cars and painting, Bilal
manages in just four months to collect and save another USD 1,200.
For him and others like him, Libya is the promised land. He, as a
15-year-old boy without any support and unable to speak Arabic
saves the equivalent of one year's salary in Gambia in just four
months in Libya.

With his money in the pocket and on a Thursday in March, Bilal
moves into a building outside Tripoli where he meets hundreds of
other Bilals…

Kune, from the Ivory Coast, is 24 and used to be a taxi driver.
He left his country and his wife and children nine months ago,
following his brother-in-law's advice: "Come to Libya, plenty of
work, plenty of money".

For three months, Kune keeps travelling: from Ivory Coast, to
Burkina Faso, Niger and finally Libya. He spends all the money he
was able to collect from his parents and family – 350,000 CFA
– the equivalent of 500 Euro, to cross the desert and
eventually join his brother.

Just like Bilal, the trip from Sabha to Tripoli is one of the
most dangerous stages of the journey. The police know that some
Libyans are eager to gain easy money by charging about USD 95 to
provide irregular migrants a lift in their vehicles. So they check
all the vans and pick-ups they can. Kune does the 800 km journey
hidden under a towel in the back of a pick-up. In Tripoli, he
finally meets his brother-in-law who helps him to find a job and a
place to sleep.

After six months in Tripoli, they seize the opportunity and
decide to cross the Mediterranean. Kune hasn't yet raised enough
money to pay the smuggler but his brother-in-law covers what he
hasn't got.

Bilal and Kune exchange terrified glances for the first time
around 9:00 am on that stormy weekend morning. They grasp the
floating prow of a sinking boat, 30 miles from land. There had been
no SOS sent. There was no food or anything to drink – only
the cold winter sea water. Seven hours later, they are lucky. They
are rescued together with other 19 people by a Libyan vessel. For
the other 236 people, including the smuggler, things were
different.

I sit in the middle of them. Kune, to my right, speaks
French.  He speaks loudly and is keen on reporting his story.
To my left, Bilal is whispering in English. He is shy and scared.
When he finds out I am Italian, his face brightens and he starts
naming the Italian soccer players he knows.

When Kune understands what Bilal is saying, he starts shaking
his head and says: "les enfants…avec tous les problems il a,
il pense au foot… (Ah children…with all the problems
he has, he is thinking of football….)"