From Deserts to Gardens: Daniel’s Expedition to Paradise from War-hit Cameroon.

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – Daniel Bourha had one goal, to get a better life and escape the war-torn Far North Region of Cameroon, where the Islamist group Boko Haram has been causing untold suffering to many inhabitants. Barely two weeks in the Far North region back at the end of 2014, war broke out while he was visiting his grandparents in the region.

Eight years later, married with two children, he started his own landscaping business. From deserts to gardens, Daniel's migration has not only come to an end but it has made him put the bitter memories he had navigating the trenches of darkness to paradise.

"I had to flee to the Nigerian border, but little did I know, the situation there was even worse," Daniel Bourha recounts to Vatican News about his perilous two-year journey to reach Europe. He was participating in MED24, a conference on migration organised by the French Archdiocese of Marseilles.

"It's the last city (Niger) where you have to pay to reach Algeria. Up until then, I was unaware of the dangers and didn't feel too many problems. But everything changed in the desert. By the grace of God, I arrived in Algeria. The smugglers took everything from us, I had no more money. We had to stay there and work to repay the money."

Daniel then headed to Oran according to Vatican News, on Algeria’s northern coast, where he crossed paths with an Algerian from Nice. The latter hired him to renovate his apartment in Oran. He stayed there for two months, earning 1,200 euros. When he saw that a friend of his had reached Germany in a very short time by passing through Libya, he decided to make to travel to the country too, although it was torn apart by a savage civil war at the time.

Daniel Bourha added: "We walked for 10 hours to reach the first Libyan city. And there, it's war, gunfire everywhere. In Tripoli, you see destroyed buildings like in a horror movie. I went straight to the seaside, where thousands of people had been waiting for two months to be able to cross. I stayed in that camp for nearly a month until it was attacked.”

"In Tripoli, I met the smuggler again and told him that I am no longer afraid. I wanted my money or to leave immediately by boat. He made me a co-smuggler to help all those who arrived onboard. I found more than 5,000 passengers at sea for about fifteen boats that boarded at 7:00 p.m. for a crossing at midnight. A few people were missing, so I covered my head and took their place.”

Daniel was then transferred to Sicily, then to Genoa where there was no space. He was then left in Ventimiglia at the Franco-Italian border. He stayed there a month, before paying a smuggler 70 euros to travel to Nice, before taking a train to Marseille.

There, Daniel was quickly taken care of by Cimade, an association helping migrants. He considers himself "lucky" for his reception in Marseille, which allowed him to not have to sleep outside. He was later offered 9 months of training, choosing the gardening sector, and obtaining a diploma.