"When Omar*, a 29-year-old bricklayer from rural Gambia, crossed the border into Mauritania in March, he came in search of the better pay he'd heard he could find. He settled in Nouadhibou, Mauritania's second-largest city, where he shared a one-room shack with four friends, and found work as a casual labourer on construction sites, earning two to three times more than he had back home."
"The oldest of nine children and the son of a rice farmer, Omar was able to save enough to support his family in The Gambia and pay his younger siblings' school fees. Then, in August, the National Guard's armed pick-up trucks arrived in the city, and the police began rounding up migrants to detain and deport. Nouadhibou's construction sites became early targets, so, to avoid capture, Omar who did not have a residence permit stopped working."
"One evening, police swept through Omar's compound. He and his friends escaped by fleeing over the rooftops, but with nowhere else to go, they returned later that night. Still unable to work, Omar and his housemates ran critically short of money, sharing just one small bowl of rice a day, and occasional fish caught by a friend who would sneak through the backstreets to a nearby estuary in the dead of night."
A 29-year-old bricklayer from rural Gambia moved to Nouadhibou, Mauritania, to earn two to three times his previous income and support his family. He shared a one-room shack with four friends and worked as a casual labourer on construction sites. In August, National Guard armed pick-up trucks and police began rounding up migrants to detain and deport, targeting construction sites and migrant neighbourhoods. To avoid capture he stopped working, limited movements to his housing compound and a corner store, and later faced house raids with doors broken down day and night. Unable to work, he and his housemates ran critically short of money and survived on minimal food.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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