Ghanaians in Senegal mourns counterparts

The Ghanaian community in Senegal and Gambia has been expressing the confirmed killings of about 13 Ghanaian migrants who set out on a mission to reach Europe two weeks ago.

The 13 were among 54 migrants being led by so-called connection men or travel agents and were reportedly rounded up by Gambian police.

A Ghanaian who managed to escape as the police opened fire on them alleges they had tried to run away when the police rounded them for illegally using Gambia as a transit point.

An increasing number of Ghanaians continue to risk their lives in their bid to cross into Europe across the Sahara in search of greener pasture.

A Ghanaian, Isaac Boakye, in the Senegalese capital who narrated how the latest group of Ghanaians sought to cross into Italy told Joy News that they wanted to cross over to Spain.

? What we normally do is that we will go and camp where before the ship will take you to Spain that is Las Palmas. So when we take off here, we take canoes to go and camp in Gambia. On our way we had this problem. Asked who led them to Gambia he said, ? As you know so called connection men and other agencies,?

Again when asked of what nationality were the connection men, Mr Boakye replied that the connection men were all Ghanaians.

He explained that the trip to Italy through Senegal and The Gambia was terrible and that an agent publicly advertises the trip and interested persons then go in.

? We were just told that our brothers were trying to cross and they were arrested and killed. At first we thought it was a rumour. A paper in Gambia published it and people even went there to see but the could not identify the bodies because of the way they have been wounded,? he said.

Mr Boakye who said he was not part of the group crossing to Spain said he is a businessman who deals in the manufacture of ?alata samina?.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Nana Akuffo Addo is due in Banjul tomorrow to lodge a complaint with President Yahaya Jammeh about the killings and find out circumstances under which they were killed.