18/08/2021
However, getting a Schengen visa does not have to be the ultimate goal. Applying for a Schengen visa is not easy, and many Gambians spend thousands of dalasi only to get rejected.
For example, Gambians seeking European visas are compelled to endure time-consuming and costly visa processes.
Gambians are compelled to travel to Dakar, Senegal, in some cases overnight, submit their applications the morning they arrive or the next day, and return to Banjul. This comes with a high cost of transportation to and from Dakar, and food and accommodation in the Senegalese capital. They are told to come back in a week’s time, only to receive a visa rejection letter, and the visa fees of up to 54,000 CFA (roughly D5,000) are non-refundable.
https://mansabanko.gm/which-way-for-gambian-migrants-the-back-way-european-visas-and-african-opportunities/
In 2015, Abdoulie Dampha of Basse Kabakama in Upper River Region embarked on the infamous ‘back way’ (irregular migration route) to Europe. He was in his mid-20s. It took him two and half years to arrive in the North African nation of Libya – the departure point for the final journey to Italy ...