Human smugglers have become much more sophisticated in their approach, according to Guinean migrant Mohammed Salif Bah. They are operating from networks extending to migrants’ countries of origin where they are offering direct routes to Libya and to Europe, he says.

“Arriving in Libya is so much easier than in my time,” the 28-year-old, who got to Malta in 2007, told Times of Malta. “Now, you can pay smugglers in countries like Ghana or Senegal to take you directly to Libya. They have groups of people operating in different countries.”

Last year, Mr Bah set up an awareness campaign called “R. Know More Network” where he tours open centres, speaking to migrants about the importance of educating themselves and integrating into the local culture.

He will soon travel to Senegal  to narrate his harrowing story of the treacherous trip across the Mediterranean in a bid to discourage potential migrants.

Senegal is also home to Mr Bah’s mother and 15-year-old brother who had escaped persecution in Guinea along with Mr Bah. 

Mr Bah had escaped persecution in Guinea, fleeing to Senegal and proceeding to Niger, Mali, Algeria and Libya, where he boarded a boat to reach Europe. 

Destroying smugglers’ boats was not a practical option to discourage migration, he believes.  

Partly to blame, Mr Bah believes, are the surviving migrants who made it to Europe and wove misleading success stories which they would sell to their friends and family back in Africa. 

“They post pictures on Facebook of them in front of a luxurious car or a beautiful home, which would not even belong to them. They purposely do not say how hard it is to make ends meet – in Italy, many migrants end up sleeping outside. Or sometimes, they even go into drug trafficking.”