He says he left Guinea when he was just 17 years old, embarking on a treacherous journey that took him through three countries. Along the way, he says he was imprisoned, tortured and held for ransom. Smugglers put him in a dinghy along with other migrants bound for Italy, but then left it stranded off the coast of Libya with no engine and no paddle. He was picked up by a rescue ship operated by humanitarian organization Proactiva Open Arms , one of 695 migrants it rescued in the space of a week. "I had no choice but leaving [Guinea]," he told CNN, onboard the ship.

Source: CNN February 20, 2018 11:15 UTC