A Senegalese man who attempted to reach Europe via Libya says the journey is too dangerous and he would not try again. Saliou Ndiaye, 30, spent seven months travelling through West Africa and Libya before being deported back to Senegal, losing more than $3,000 (£2,000) in the process.
Ndiaye told the BBC he set off last July, motivated by the prospect of higher earnings. 'In Senegal there is nothing; you can't find a job,' he said. He worked four years as a painter and on a construction site to save 400,000 CFA francs for transport. He travelled through Mali, Niger and Libya, enduring a gruelling desert crossing where three men in his group died from dehydration.
In Libya, Ndiaye was captured by rebels who demanded a ransom, but he escaped after four days. He later worked in Tripoli but was arrested and detained in overcrowded prisons before being repatriated. He now believes European efforts to stop smugglers are positive, but also urges African governments to tighten borders to prevent illegal migration.
