Ghanaian migrants in 'distress' in Cape Verde

Saltpond (CR), Nov 23, GNA - One hundred and eighty-three Africans including 81 Ghanaian who attempted to reach Spain by canoe are languishing in cells in Cape Verde lslands.

Mr M K Ato Brown, a presenter of a Winneba based community radio told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Saltpond that he received a call from a friend called Ato Kwamina who hailed from Mankessim and one of the victims asking him [Ato Brown] to inform the government to intervene and save them from imminent death.


Mr Ato Brown said according to the friend who gave their contact number as 002389857978 they were going through some inhuman treatment by immigration officials of the lsland.


The radio presenter said the illegal migrants informed him that they were fed twice a day - tea without sugar in the morning and a small quantity of rice at about 15hours to serve as lunch cum super. Mr Ato Brown said his contacts with some of the migrants indicated that they set off from the Gambia where they had lived in three canoes, having Spain as their destination.

He said one of the canoes, which carried 180 people managed to get there safely. The second with 200 passengers returned to the Gambia when they found the going tough and the third canoe with 183 persons on board made and emergency stop in Cape Verde due to excessive fog over the sea as a result of the harmattan weather.


Mr Ato Brown said according to the people, five of their leaders had been taken away from the calls and did not know what had happened to them. He said most of the Ghanaians hailed from the Central Region with a few from Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. The other Africans he said were from the Gambia and Senegal.


The radio presenter said he had informed Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister about the plight of the Ghanaian migrants. The Minister Mr Arthur confirmed the story when the GNA contacted him.