"I spent three days in the forest. Then I took a bus to Dar es Salaam. From there, we took a boat. The journey lasted seven days. Very quickly, we could tell the captain was lost. At one point, we had no bread or water."
"We were watching the Barca-Newcastle match when we heard screams. We found men, women, children they thought they had reached Mayotte. Instead, they were nearly 200 kilometers short."
"Mayotte, despite being France's poorest department a French territorial division remains a powerful draw for migrants from across Africa and the Comoros. Many pay smugglers for the perilous sea crossing, where thousands have died along the route in recent years."
At least 18 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo drowned off Comoros after smugglers dropped them into the water approximately 200 kilometers from their intended destination of Mayotte, a French overseas territory. About 30 others survived the incident near Mitsamiouli on Grande Comore's northern tip. The migrants, many unable to swim, had endured a grueling seven-day journey by boat with inadequate food and water. Approximately 50 people were aboard the vessel. Mayotte attracts thousands of migrants seeking access to French infrastructure and social services despite being France's poorest department. This tragedy reflects an ongoing crisis, with thousands dying attempting the perilous sea crossing in recent years, including at least 25 deaths in 2024 from a separate boat capsizing.
Read at www.dw.com
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