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Returning from Libyan detention, young Gambians try to change the migration exodus mindset

The belief that you can only make it in Europe is deeply entrenched

BANJUL/The Gambia, 16 August 2018, Mustapha Sallah knows all about taking the “back way”, the Gambian expression for migrating to Europe, a journey that for many citizens comes to a brutal halt in a Libyan jail.

Having experienced detention first-hand, 26-year-old Sallah and the group he set up last year, Youths Against Irregular Migration, are now using the airwaves in his home country, as well as social media and roadshows, to try to deter others from following in his footsteps.