By: Nyima Sillah
Malta-based migration activist Ebrima Drammeh has confirmed that over 40 Gambian migrants, including a 3-year-old child, died after a boat carrying them capsized last Wednesday.
Speaking to The Voice on Thursday, Drammeh stated that the boat departed on Sunday 8th December, carrying 55 people from Tunisia Sfax in Kilometer 19, but capsized on Wednesday night around 03:20 am resulting in the death of over 40 Gambians with only one 12-year-old survivor rescued by the TROTAMAR III and taken to Lampedusa.
According to him, nearly a hundred Gambians died within ten days as the first boat that sank was on November 30th with over 50 Gambians and Sunday 8th December with over 45 Gambians.
He explained that five boats left within one week from November 27th to December 10th but three boats were still missing, he assumed that the incidents could be due to poor weather because when the weather is poor, Marine officers don’t go to the sea. So, most migrants take advantage of that and risk their lives.
Activist Drammeh further stated that many risk their lives despite the bad weather due to the terrible living conditions in Tunisia. “As I am speaking, the police are destroying all their tents so most of them have no choice but to risk their lives just to get to Italy because if they stay to wait for the stable weather, the Marine officers will catch them and send them to the desert or jail.”
He pointed out that the iron boat, packed with 55 people, included nationals from Mali, Guinea Conakry, and Sierra Leone, but the majority of them were Gambians.
