A viral video of a Cameroonian woman dying in the Sahara has shocked the public. The woman, who later died, was trying to reach Italy with a group of immigrants. The tragedy has reopened the debate on illegal immigration in a context where many still take the road at their own risk.
It is a tragic story that recalls thousands of other human tragedies recorded every year on the illegal immigration route. The recent distressing sight of a Cameroonian woman obviously breathing her last in the Sahara is shocking and causes resentment in Cameroon.
If the story of Isabelle Mpouma, 37, has been so moving, it is because of images that have gone viral of her last moments of life. In a video recorded by her fellow travelers and shared thousands of times on the Web since the beginning of August, the young woman can be seen lying on the sand, visibly dehydrated and at the point of death.
To alert her family, one of her companions filmed the scene, giving some information on the identity of the lady and the destination of the trip. We learn that the group of 40 people is trying to reach Italy but has been stuck in this desert for four days because of Isabelle’s health.
Moreover, the man underlines that the rest of the troop is obliged to abandon her in this place and continue their way not to put other lives in danger. One will learn via the same companions of road that the young lady would have ended up giving up the soul in this desert.
Discourage early applicants
The video of Isabelle dying appears on social networks. The members of her family in Cameroon will identify her and confirm her death. This mother of a boy, we learn, was before her departure, a hairdresser in a market in the city of Douala.
In mid-July, she left her business and her family to take the illegal immigration route to Italy as her ultimate destination. In the country, the tragedy is shocking, and many reactions are coming out.
Appeal to Cameroonians
Opinion leaders or politicians, like the deputy Nourane Foster who, while recognizing the difficulties encountered by young Cameroonians and the share of responsibility of the leaders, tries to discourage future illegal immigrants.
“I would like to appeal to all young people with such a project to give it up immediately. Our government must take its responsibilities and protect our youth,” she wrote on the social network Facebook, relying on“ appalling images ”of the recent tragic case.
On the Web, as in the country’s media, many similar appeals are made to potential candidates for departure: “We are appealing (…) to young people so that they stop believing that Europe is paradise,” insists MP François Biba.
