Personal stories

'I saw three people die' in the desert after Algerian police made migrants walk to Niger

Amadou* had been working for two years in the southern Algerian city of Tamanrasset when policemen arrived to detain him and then send him back to the desert, in the direction of Niger. The thirty-year-old West African recounted his journey across the desert and his difficult return home.

Shâyân, a migrant in Bosnia: 'People are quarantined in containers and no one is tested for COVID-19'

InfoMigrants spoke to Shâyân*, an Iranian engineer who lives with his family in a migrant camp near Bihac in Bosnia. Although the rest of Bosnia is no longer under lockdown, the migrant camp remains in quarantine after a doctor at the camp tested positive for the coronavirus.

Joy, a refugee with albinism, fights against discrimination

Joy is a young refugee in Italy who was the victim of superstition in Nigeria. The young woman, who now lives in Turin, was kidnapped from her home in Nigeria by men who wanted to sacrifice her because she was born with albinism.

Douaa's story: From Syria in search of peace in Italy

Douaa Alkoka, a Syrian refugee who now lives in the Italian region of Calabria, told the story of her migrant journey and reception in Italy during a press conference in which the UNHCR report Global Trends was presented. Alkoka described the many difficulties of being a Syrian fleeing her country.

Arshid's story: After leaving Iran because he’s gay, he discovers intolerance on his way to Europe

Arshid*, 28, left his native Iran, where he was forced to hide his homosexuality. He continues to do so in Bosnia’s Bira camp, where he has been stuck for nine months. The coronavirus pandemic has made it even more difficult to reach Europe, but he’s not giving up hope of reaching a country where he can finally "be himself".

Mother of refugee children in France: 'I'm in a tunnel that I can't see the end of'

Koumba, from Guinea, arrived in France at the end of 2017 along with her two daughters, then aged two and four. She hoped to spare them the traumatic experience of female circumcision and wanted to offer them a good education. Two and a half years later, she says she has lost all hope for her future in France.

Gambian refugee activist in Germany connects, empowers and informs other migrants

When we first spoke with Gambian asylum seeker Yahya Sonko two years ago, he shared his aspirations of becoming a leader in Germany's Gambian community. Since then, the kindergarten teacher apprentice has become a linchpin for information who helps thousands of fellow Gambian migrants in Europe. However, it remains unclear whether he can stay in Germany.

'Since we arrived in Italy we've been living in the streets'

Salif, a 31-year-old migrant from West Africa arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in the beginning of April. From there he was transferred to Sicily where he says he and nine other migrants have been left to live on the streets. This is his story.

Syrian refugees in Germany: Helping with hearts and hands

The German public TV channel ARD has been running a series during the coronavirus pandemic called “Everyday heroes.” On Sunday it featured a Syrian family that wanted to give back to the country that took them in, “with their hearts and their hands.”

Coronavirus: Kilson, a young Angolan blocked in Italy

This is the story of Kilson, a young Angolan who is blocked in Italy due to the coronavirus, following a theatre workshop in Palermo, where he arrived in March. "Now I find myself with an expired tourist visa and continually calling the embassy to know what my future will be if the quarantine continues for a long time," he said.

Sophie, an asylum seeker in Sweden: 'They won’t recognize that my son was born here'

Sophie* is from a West African country and arrived in Sweden in 2015. The following year, she gave birth to a baby boy in a Swedish hospital. Since then she has been fighting for her child to be documented as having been born on Swedish soil.

Meet Moheyman, the refugee nurse fighting coronavirus in Iran

In Iran, refugee Moheyman Alkhatavi, 24, is working relentlessly to assist Iranians and fellow refugees in the current coronavirus emergency. Iran has been one of the countries worst-hit by COVID-19.