Personal stories

A doctor describes Libya's humanitarian crisis

Fighting continues in Libya, a country fragmented by a multitude of power centers. Since mid-2014, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated due to political instability. Millions of people across Libya are impacted, including refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. Dr. Tankred Stoebe, who works with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), spent the month of January in the country coordinating a medical assessment that took him from Misrata to Tripoli. He told us what he saw.

The uncertain future of a Syrian astronomer in Paris

Muhammad Ali Sammuneh, 45, is an astronomer from Syria who has restarted his life in France. Although he and his family were able to flee the regime of Bashar al-Assad, his future remains uncertain.

Yasir's story: 'I didn't know what loneliness felt like'

Is a better future worth all the trouble that refugees take to reach Europe? Yasir, a Pakistani refugee in his late twenties, has been grappling with this question ever since he came to Germany, enduring a long journey filled with struggle and loneliness.

The tragic tale of an atheist blogger seeking asylum in Germany

Blogger Arnab Goswami's articles and views in support of atheism have put his life in danger and forced him to flee his home country Bangladesh. The writer now lives in Germany, but faces an uncertain future.

Rani's story: Finding success as an entrepreneur in Germany

 Entering the job market in Germany can be difficult for a refugee and often requires special educational qualifications. Could self-employment be the solution?

'The baby was born, it started crying right away. It was wonderful'

InfoMigrants is currently on board the Aquarius, an NGO migrant rescue vessel patrolling the Mediterrenean. Meet crew member Elizabeth, a midwife from the United States, who is on board for Médecins sans frontières (MSF).

Jazzy's story: a long road ahead for a Pakistani asylum seeker

Since his arrival on Lesbos in March 2016, Jazzi* has been struggling for a formal recognition of his refugee status. But it’s a long road for the Pakistani Schiite. His request for asylum in Germany has just been rejected.

Daniel's story: the search for asylum in Europe

Daniel is a refugee from Eritrea. His journey involved human traffickers and a search across Europe for asylum. He has been a political refugee since October and will soon be in Rome to teach an English language course for migrant centre workers.

Rwandan refugees’ memories reflected in photos

Atrocities and killings of innocent people marked the year of 1994 in Rwanda. The country’s majority Hutu population planned to kill the minority Tutsi population and anyone who opposed those genocidal intentions. The numbers of victims of the dreadful 100-day-long conflict in various sources differ from 500,000 to almost two million victims. What's more, almost two million people were forced to leave the country because of the warfare.

J's story: an Eritrean refugee describes her horrific experience

A 19-year-old Eritrean refugee bears the signs of violence she suffered as she fled from her country to Europe through Libya. She is now pregnant as a result of rape.

Gul Jehan's story: 'They harassed me when they found out I was Hazara'

Gul Jehan* is a young Afghan woman who fled to Germany in 2015. A member of the minority Hazara community in Afghanistan, Gul and her family faced severe discrimination while growing up. Gul left Kabul when her family was subjected to death threats.

Tijan Bah's story: from war-torn Sierra Leone to Italian citizenship

"My name is Tijan Bah, I'm 27 years old and I come from Sierra Leone. I arrived in Italy by boat in 2002. I was 12 at the time." By that age, Tijan had already experienced various traumas, from hunger to the death of his loved ones and last but not least, a  dangerous sea crossing to Europe.