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From Gambia to Italy: a refugee’s perilous journey

After making a harrowing journey across desert and sea to reach Italy, a Gambian man waits and hopes for asylum.

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Migrants wait on board the rescue vessel Iuventa - belonging to the NGO Jugend Rettet - for the Italian coastguard to transfer them to Italy. They were rescued 20 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
By Cesar Dezfuli
Published On 22 Mar 2017

When Malick Jeng, 19, left Banjul, his hometown and capital of Gambia, on March 14, 2016, he never imagined the risks he would face on his way to Europe.

Malick crossed the desert in Mali inside an oil tank where he almost suffocated. He was later held in a Libyan prison, where he witnessed the murder of some of his fellow travellers and only gained his freedom thanks to a payment sent by his family.

On the night of August 1, after a month in Libya, he was transferred by smugglers to a beach near Tripoli, where he clambered into a rubber boat with 120 people on board to cross the Mediterranean. Hours later, the rescue vessel Iuventa, from the NGO Jugend Rettet, rescued them 20 nautical miles off the Libyan coast.

Malick was first transferred to Catania, Sicily, and later to Biella, a city in the north of Italy, where he has lived ever since, in a temporary reception centre called Hotel Colibri – an old hotel that had been closed for 10 years. The hotel was turned into a reception centre for migrants in August 2016. The cooperative that manages it, which has other centres in the area, receives 35 euros ($37.7) per migrant per day from the Italian state. Malick and other migrants receive their basic necessities, including three meals per day and a bed, as well as monthly pocket money of 75 euros ($80.8).

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Malick is awaiting a response to his asylum application to find out if he can begin a life in Europe legally, as a refugee, or whether he will be forced to keep fighting for his future.

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Malick, from Gambia, right, and Mbeye, from Senegal look at the sea from the rescue vessel Iuventa. They have survived after seven hours of travelling from Libya in a rubber boat with 120 people on board, all of whom were rescued safely. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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The crew of the rescue vessel Iuventa assist an overcrowded rubber boat with 120 people on board. The crew try to stabilise the boat but some migrants fall into the water at the moment of transfer. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Portrait of Malick Jeng, an asylum seeker from Gambia, who was rescued from the Mediterranean on August 2, 2016. After the rescue, Malick was transferred first to Catania, Sicily, where he spent a week. Then he was moved to a temporary reception centre in Biella, in the north of Italy, where he has lived ever since. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Entrance of Hotel Colibri, the closed hotel-turned-temporary reception centre where Malick lives. Cooperatives and private companies are running asylum centres such as this across Italy. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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The corridors of Hotel Colibri. The building has capacity for up to 55 people, who have the right to stay in the centre for the duration of their asylum process, usually a maximum of two years. All the current residents are from countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and are housed in rooms that can accommodate between two and four people. Most of their time consists of sleeping, eating, and talking with family and friends through their mobile phones. All centres are obliged to offer free wi-fi. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Malick prepares tea in his friend's room, using a small electric heater. He follows the ritual of tea preparation that he used to perform when he was with his family. Drinking tea with friends is a way to spend time in the temporary centre. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Migrants from different temporary reception centres in Biella play a football match on a Saturday morning. The Alps mountain range is in the background. Football is the main hobby among migrants, many of whom have always dreamed of becoming professional football players. The organisation Migraction, which works for the integration of migrants in Biella, organises football matches and training sessions in which migrants can be in contact with young local people. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Baba, from Senegal, plays football with Malick, from Gambia, and Mohammed, from Mali, on a field covered by snow near the hotel. When the weather is good, they play football and basketball there every day. Malick, like other residents from the asylum centre, saw snow for the first time this winter. They were amazed by the experience and went out to play. At least until they realised that touching the snow is not bearable for too long. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Malick prays in his room. He is Muslim and - except for Fridays when he goes to a mosque 20 minutes' walk from the hotel - he prays in his room. Religion is one of the methods of escape practised by migrants. All of them are very observant, both Muslim and Christian. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Demba, from Gambia, lies in his bed while speaking with his roommate, Malick. He spends most of the day in bed sleeping or chatting with his friends and family through his mobile phone, since there is nothing else to do. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Malick and his friends Moussa, from Ivory Coast, and Mohammad, from Senegal, train before going to bed. They train every night, not only to keep their body in shape, but also to still their minds for a while, and to get tired so they can fall asleep more easily. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Abdoulie, from Gambia, lights a cigarette in his friend's room at the Hotel Colibri. He arrived in Italy in August 2016 after being rescued from a boat from Libya. He maintains daily phone contact with his brother, who is now in Libya waiting for his moment to embark and follow the same path. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Patrick, from Ghana, has been working in the kitchen since arriving at the Hotel Colibrí in August 2016. He has worked under the promise that he will receive a monthly financial contribution for his work, although he has yet to receive it. Nevertheless, he continues to work as it is the only way to stay active. It is common that migrants are given cleaning and cooking tasks within the reception centres, saving costs for the companies that run them. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]
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Memories of crossing the Mediterranean often return to the minds of the migrants, now as a past anecdote, but something they will never be able to forget. In the picture, a column of smoke rises from a burning boat in the middle of the sea: the rubber boat in which Malick travelled. The boats used by migrants are usually burned or punctured by the authorities after rescues, to avert their being picked up and used again. [Cesar Dezfuli/Al Jazeera]