"My name is Ibera Manneh."

Ibera is happy to stop and talk to us because he's just missed the bus and he has a whole hour to wait for the next one. Smartly dressed with a fashionable backpack, he could be a German teenager on his way to school or university, or a musician. He is, in fact, a reggae dancehall artist, he tells us.

Ibera a.k.a. 'Milla DZ' is a teenager - he's 19 - and hails from Gambia, about 6,000 kilometers from Germany.

FACT: Gambia is the smallest country on the African continent, wedged into Senegal on the West Coast. Population: About 2 million. It's one of the world's least developed countries. Youth unemployment: over 40 percent.

To get to the Mediterranean from Gambia, you first have to cross several national borders and thousands of kilometers of desert, usually through Niger and Libya. In recent years, in spite of the serious danger involved in the journey, thousands of young Gambians have left their homes and traveled this route known as 'the back way.'

Ibera Manneh made his way via 'the back way' and landed in Italy. From there he traveled to Austria and further by Flixbus, a cheap long-distance bus service, finally arriving in Bavaria in southern Germany and applying for asylum.

FACT: Last year, 2,750 Gambians applied for asylum in Germany. Most applied in Bavaria's neighboring state of Baden-Württemberg.

Now, Ibera's life is in limbo. His temporary home is an 'anchor center' for asylum seekers on the outskirts of Donauwörth, a small town in Bavaria. There are more than 220 Gambians in the center, mostly men, as well as people from at least 17 other countries.

"It’s not easy at all. Especially if you leave your country to come to a place like this, and you are not the only person who is here. You face many different nationalities. You have people from Gambia, from Senegal, people from Ghana, people from Nigeria... You cannot be comfortable like if you are in your home. Because there is not only one person who is in the room... If you are eight in a room, how can you be comfortable?"

'It could be next week, but no one knows'

Like a lot of Gambians in the center, Ibera lives in constant fear of being sent back to Italy. Every so often, police turn up to the anchor center during the night to collect and deport 'failed' asylum seekers. As most Africans first arrive in Spain or Italy, this is where most are returned to.

"A lot of friends have been deported back to Italy, and... they don’t have a place to sleep. These people became homeless."

FACT: In 2017, less than 5 percent of Gambians who applied for asylum in Germany were successful. In the first 10 months of this year, of nearly 4,000 decisions on applications from Gambians, 108 people were recognized as refugees and 5 were recognized as being entitled to asylum. 12 received subsidiary protection.

Planning for a better life

When we meet Ibera, he's on his way to 'school'. It's not real school, it's a class run by the local technical college where he can learn German and a bit about German culture. It's one way he can improve his chances of staying in the country.

"You see that I am on my way going to school, to plan for a better life. Because ... nowadays in Germany, they say that we Gambians, we don’t have good chances of getting asylum. They say that our chances of asylum have been destroyed. But the only thing that we can do is to go to school. Or if you are lucky, you have a lady to marry. Or they say, that if you have a daughter or a son." 

FACT: The right to family life is protected in the German Constitution. So if you marry someone who has a right to reside in Germany, it is generally not possible for the state to deport you. The same applies if you have a child who has a right to reside in Germany.

There is also a section in the German Residence Act which says that if you are married to a German citizen or to someone who has the right to reside in Germany, then you are entitled to receive a residence permit.

It is important to know that the authorities are strict about ensuring that the 'family' is genuine. If you don't live together, for example, then you lost the right to reside in Germany, because it is assumed that you only got married in order to avoid having to leave the country. Paternity claims are also very thoroughly investigated, for the same reason.

For Ibera, while he is stuck in the "camp," education is the best way to keep his life moving. Meanwhile he is keeping another dream alive through his musical alter ego, and praying that the German police don't come to his door any time soon.

More information

Voluntary return and reintegration programs available for Gambia:

https://www.returningfromgermany.de/en/countries/gambia-the#title

False rumors that Germany has a repatriation or deportation agreement with Gambia:

https://rumoursaboutgermany.info/rumours/has-the-gambia-signed-a-deportation-agreement-with-germany/