Personal stories

'My daughters were granted asylum': An Ivorian father in France says his situation improved

In February 2020, Paul, a father from Côte d'Ivoire, first spoke with InfoMigrants about his chaotic situation in Paris where he was surviving without fixed accommodation with his then 4-year-old twin daughters. Contacted again by InfoMigrants a year and a half later, Paul reveals that his life has "clearly" improved. His daughters have been granted asylum, although he has not. They also went back to school. Here is his story.

'After the fire in Moria, we were full of hope of getting out of Lesbos'

Christian* arrived on the Greek island of Lesbos from Turkey in September 2019. This young Congolese man lived for more than a year in the overcrowded Moria camp and then on the street after a fire destroyed it. He is currently living in the new Kara Tepe camp, which was supposed to be a temporary solution. But he tells InfoMigrants how this situation does not seem to be changing.

Afghan teacher arrives in Italy: 'School is our future'

An Afghan teacher who has just arrived in Sardinia said in a recent interview that the situation back home collapsed suddenly, leading her to flee the Afghanistan of the Taliban. With her is an 18-year-old student.

'My parents are stuck in Taliban hell'

This is the story of Wali, an Afghan in Italy whose parents are stuck in Afghanistan. His mother and father both have Italian residence permits but they returned to their country a few months ago because one of their daughters was pregnant.

'I hope France will not abandon me', says Afghan woman who worked for French troops

Nadia* worked in a French military camp in Afghanistan. Now she feels threatened by the Taliban because of her work with the French. After applying several times for a visa to get to France, she was always rejected. At the start of August, she spoke to InfoMigrants about her fears as the Taliban approached Kabul.

Aegean pushbacks: 'They threw all our belongings and phones into the sea'

Three months ago, 28-year-old Stephanie* flew from Kinshasa to Istanbul to join her husband. To reach Europe, the young woman took a boat from Turkey. She said that her boat was turned back by the Greek coast guard, and that she and the other migrants were threatened with guns. This is her story.

Libyan prisons: 'If you stay too long, the Libyans sell you and nobody knows what happens to you'

Amadi*, a 24-year-old Malian, contacted InfoMigrants to tell us about his experiences in one of Libya's state prisons. Violence against migrants in these detention centers has been well-documented and condemned, yet it continues.

Hamado Dipama's story: Finding opportunities in unlikely places

After fleeing political violence in Burkina Faso almost 20 years ago, Hamado Dipama ended up in Germany entirely by chance. Now that he has made Munich his home, he remains politically active and dedicated to social justice.

One teen migrant's story: Torture and tuberculosis in Libya, then saved by humanitarian corridor

Mohamed* was just 14 years old when he left Somalia, entrusting his life to traffickers in hopes of reaching Europe. In Libya, he was tortured and almost died from tuberculosis. Thanks to a humanitarian corridor, the 17-year-old was able to transfer to Italy and receive medical care.

Migrant in Libya: 'The coast guard is complicit with the traffickers'

Salif* has attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea six times in the past four years in the hope of reaching Europe from Libya. The 19-year-old Sub-Saharan migrant told InfoMigrants how the departures from the Libyan coast work. He says traffickers and Libyan coast guard officers are sometimes the same people.

Senegalese fishermen with papers: A different kind of migrant story

Two Senegalese fishermen, who have been working legally in Italy for some time on board a fishing boat in Lampedusa, watch surprised as thousands of other migrants file past them in the hope of a better life in Europe.

Reunited: Migrant girl who survived a 22-day crossing meets her rescuer

A 17-year old migrant girl from Ivory Coast met her Spanish rescuer in a BBC video last week. Aicha was one of three people to survive a 22-day crossing from Mauritania when she was found drifting at sea by the Spanish Air Force.