Ten years ago, 1 million people fled into Europe, escaping conflict and poverty. Many had travelled for years in search of peace, prosperity or stability, and found it in countries such as Italy, Germany and Belgium. But the journey to truly belong continues.
A decade on, after finding work and learning a new language, four asylum seekers feel torn. They recall the woodlands of northern Nigeria, a river that flows through a Syrian town – or the nightmare of child abuse in Afghanistan. They are still homesick and wrestle with the possibility – or impossibility – of return. They are part of a new, transformed Europe
By Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Main image: Youssef Hammad, 35, a Palestinian from Gaza who fled the conflict and migrated to Belgium, sits with his wife Minas Abdalbari, 34, as their daughter Ellia Hammad, 5, plays at the Groenhove bos national forest in Torhout, Belgium. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Thu 14 Aug 2025 08.00 CEST
