Reporter Beatriz Ramalho da Silva tells iMEdD the story behind the cross-border investigation that uncovered how migrants are being arrested in North Africa and abandoned in the desert —with the knowledge of the European Union.
In Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia, black refugees and migrants are being arrested and abandoned in desert and remote areas. These secret —and until recently unknown— operations prevent people from trying to cross from North Africa into Europe. The European Union appears to be aware of, or even supporting, this practice through funding and the sharing of intelligence.
These operations were first exposed in the award-winning investigation Desert Dumps by Lighthouse Reports, conducted in collaboration with eight other media outlets and involving more than 40 journalists.
Beatriz Ramalho da Silva, an investigative journalist at Lighthouse Reports, spoke to iMEdD about the story behind the investigation, which lasted more than a year and received the IJ4EU Impact Award 2025. She was in Athens for this year’s award ceremony, held on September 26, 2025, as part of the annual UNCOVERED conference and the iMEdD International Journalism Forum.
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