Stranded Traveler Finds Temporary Home in Airport Terminal
A 56-year-old woman has spent the last six months residing within the confines of Belém International Airport, a situation that has drawn comparisons to the film “The Terminal.” Fatmata Sessay, a native of Sierra Leone, found herself stranded mid-journey after her passport was reportedly stolen. Her intended destination was Panama, where she aimed to reunite with her 15-year-old son.
A Six-Month Ordeal
Sessay began sleeping in the airport terminal after her travel plans were disrupted. For half a year, she navigated life within the airport while attempting to resolve her documentation issues and resume her journey. During this extended stay, she utilized a local support center for homeless individuals, which provided her with meals and access to essential washing facilities.
Her prolonged airport residency concluded when the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Pará provided her with a plane ticket to continue her travels. The development marks the end of an extraordinary six-month period where the airport became her de facto home.
Sessay expressed deep emotion upon receiving the assistance, conveying her gratitude to prosecutor Nadilson Portilho, who managed her complex case. “No one helped me here,” she stated to him. “Only you bought my ticket. Thank you very much. God willing, I’ll find my son and start life again.”
Prosecutor Portilho confirmed that the office facilitated her flight for June 22 and actively assisted in obtaining the necessary travel documents, including visas and vaccination records for Colombia and Panama.
Earlier this month, a court in Pará mandated that authorities provide consular support within 48 hours and collaborate with Sierra Leone’s diplomatic mission to regularize her status. The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) acknowledged Sessay’s vulnerable situation, noting that she had not received adequate support throughout her ordeal. The MPF also suggested that systemic failures, potentially involving xenophobia and racism, may have contributed to the delays in her case.
Sessay explained that she had left São Paulo, where she had lived for 18 years, to locate her son in Panama. She recounted being robbed in Peru during her travels, subsequently receiving aid from volunteers to proceed through Suriname to Brazil. Upon arriving in Belém, she reported another robbery that resulted in the loss of her passport and ticket, leaving her effectively stranded.
Without the financial means to replace her documents or fund further travel, she began living inside the airport terminal, citing a feeling of safety there compared to the outside world. “I didn’t want to go anywhere because when I leave there are people and cars on top of me. I feel safe here,” she explained.
Local authorities have indicated that Sessay has been receiving support since December 2025 and is also enrolled in social welfare programs. Investigations into the reported thefts are ongoing.
