Kenya Today: Algerian youth risk lives seeking better life in Europe - by LAEED ZAGHLAMI
Algerian youth risk lives seeking better life in Europe - by LAEED ZAGHLAMI
For a long time, nobody took their plight seriously. In the 1970s, the public contemptuously dismissed them as idlers or dealers in contraband goods while the government acted as if they did not exist. But now, the number of young people risking their lives to leave Algeria in search of a better life in Europe, or ‘harraga’ as they are known locally, has reached alarming levels and can no longer be ignored. Many risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea in all sorts of ill-equipped vessels, determined to reach European shores. Some make it, others get arrested before they reach and are repatriated, yet others perish at sea.
“The authorities should act immediately to stop the ‘youth drain,’” says a parent whose son disappeared after leaving for Europe from Beni Saf on the west coast.
Labels: Algeria, EU, Immigration
