Personal stories

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.

Crossing the Algerian desert: 'There were 15 of us at the start and only two at the finish'

At the age of 15, Aboubacar, now a refugee in France, fled Guinea. When he crossed the Algerian desert to reach Libya, he was one of only two survivors. Aboubacar told InfoMigrants about this traumatic journey.

130 migrants dead in Mediterranean: 'All they wanted was a normal life'

Bilal*, a Sudanese migrant in Libya, knew victims of the April 22 shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea. On that day, 130 people are believed to have died at sea as a result of the failure of Libyan and European maritime rescue services as well as complicated weather conditions. After the tragedy, Bilal spoke with InfoMigrants.

Zohre Esmaeli: The meaning of life in exile

The Afghan born fashion model and entrepreneur Zohre Esmaeli was this year’s guest speaker at the "Days of Exile" event hosted by the Körber-Stiftung, a foundation based in Hamburg, Germany.

Franck's story: 'I was granted refugee status but I'm still stuck in this camp'

Franck and his wife, originally from the DRC, were granted refugee status in Greece on March 1. Yet, due to a lack of work and integration, the family is still stuck in the camp on the Greek island of Samos, with no prospects for the future. "We feel we have been abandoned to our sad fate," says Franck.

Maher's story: Stuck in a German bureaucratic maze

Maher is a journalist. He and his family are originally from Iraq. Maher has waited nearly 16 months for his asylum case to be decided. With no permission to work and no access to education for his four daughters, he is currently on hunger strike in a reception center in Germany. He hopes that this will speed up a transfer and a decision.