Migrant hopes for France freeze on Italian mountain trail
BARDONECCHIA, Italy: Cisse and Ibrahim have never seen snow before. After fleeing crisishit Libya by boat and making their way up Italy, the exhausted pair trudge in fl imsy trainers along a pitch-black mountain trail in a night-time bid to reach France.
They are among hundreds of migrants trying their luck in Bardonecchia. The town is a skiers’ delight, but beyond the black run thrills and hot toddies lie the tracks of those braving dangerous snowy peaks to cross the border.
After a crackdown at the Ventimiglia coastal crossing, young men have begun arriving at the railway station here to attempt the Col de l’Echelle pass, which runs 16 kilometres (10 miles) between Bardonecchia and the fi rst French town.
While controls along this route are strict in the summer months, it is closed to traffic in winter and rather than zealous police the biggest challenge facing the mainly African men is a freezing wind that buffets the 1,700 metre (5,600 feet) high pass.
“Word has been spreading among migrants for several months. But it’s extremely dangerous. The arrivals have become a daily tragedy!” said local teacher Silvia Massara, who helps distribute hot meals to those passing through.
Inside the station, tired youths wolf down plates of stew and rice handed out by volunteers from the Rainbow for Africa and Briser les Frontieres associations, as well as the Red Cross.
Those lucky enough to make it to the French side without getting caught are welcomed by locals offering warm hearths and hearts.
The Italians, meanwhile, do everything possible to convince the migrants to turn back before it is too late.
After surviving baking deserts, detention in Libyan prisons and perilous boat crossings in the Mediterranean, the migrants are shown pictures by volunteers of avalanches or fellow travellers who have lost limbs to frostbite.
Word has been spreading among migrants for several months. But it’s extremely dangerous. The arrivals have become a daily tragedy!
Many shrug off the danger. “We have nothing to lose. No job, no money, we are ready to take any necessary risk to cross the border,” said one young Guinean, who wanted to remain anonymous.
Cyrille Coulibaly, a 20-year- old from Ivory Coast who recently arrived in Italy, had set off before dawn the day before, but quickly turned back, shivering violently in his lightweight clothing. However he refuses to be discouraged.
“I was advised to take this route. It’s all planned. I just need to fi nd some shoes,” he told AFP.
Others, like 29-year- old Mohamed Bambore from Burkina Faso, throw in the towel before even setting out.
Silvia Massara, local teacher