An unaccompanied migrant adolescent: My uncle drowned in the Mediterranean sea, and I was alone

Bakary is an age-disputed unaccompanied minor, who lived in a squat in Marseille. He arrived in France passing through Libya and Italy. MSF offers financial and medical support to the squat which hosted some age-disputed unaccompanied children, and which is managed by a local association called ‘Collectif 113’.

Bakary*, 16 years old, Côte d’Ivoire 

I left Côte d'Ivoire with my uncle. We went through Burkina Faso, then Niger and crossed the desert to Libya. When I arrived in Libya, I was already extremely tired and exhausted, as I had fallen ill. 

We waited for weeks in a locked warehouse with hundreds of people. We only ate a piece of bread when the guards gave us some. One morning, one of the guards finally put us on a dinghy. I was terrified: every time a wave hit the dinghy, people fell into the water. Once you fall in the water, it's impossible to get back in the boat. All hopes drown in it. My uncle also drowned in the Mediterranean sea, and I was suddenly alone.

I was rescued by a rescue ship and brought to Italy, but despite my best efforts, I did not manage to learn Italian. Since French is my native language, I came to France to study.

When I arrived in Marseille, I first spent the night at the police station and then I was placed in a hotel for a fortnight. When you try to explain to the assessors everything you have been through, they think you are lying. They turned me down, saying I was lying about my age, and I was told I could appeal the judge's decision. An appeal? I had never heard of that, I didn't know what that word meant. I was so confused and sad that I took the first bus that passed and stayed on the bus until the end of the line. An elderly person noticed me and asked me if everything was okay. I cried and explained my situation. He referred me to a group of volunteers, who took me in, gave me shelter and explained the appeal procedure. 

When you stay alone on the street for a long time, there are malicious people who approach you and if you don't talk to anyone for days, you can go crazy. I have been very lucky to meet volunteers, who take care of me, guide me and help me with everything.

My dream is to become a scientist. I would like to study and take a degree. I am a very curious person, and I ask myself many questions: I would like to know more about how people live and organise themselves, to go further in the search for the meaning of life.

*Names have been changed.