By Brima Sannoh (ATJLF/MRCG Fellow 2025)
When Joseph Bockarie Kamara left Bo in southern Sierra Leone in 2018, he believed he was chasing a dream. That dream led him through the treacherous deserts of Mali and Algeria, into the hands of Islamist militants near the Libyan border, and a two-year nightmare of detention, torture, and hunger.
“Travelling abroad had always been my dream,” Joseph says quietly. “But I never imagined it would be this way.” His story is far from unique. Kamara was among the thousands of West African migrants whose return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in 2021. Today, he serves as a community volunteer in Pujehun District, warning others about the dangers of irregular migration. “We were tortured, starved, left lying in the scorching sun because we couldn’t pay bribes,” he recounts. “By the grace of God, we survived.” But many others have not.
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