The situation for foreign workers and refugees is getting direr by the day in Libya as mass anti-government protests that aimed to overthrow the Gadhafi regime is rapidly turning to prolonged civil war. This deteriorating situation makes hard for migrant workers to leave the country. UN refugees’ agency has called for the international community to step in to prevent humanitarian crisis in the country.
SomalilandPress’ Mohamed Gulaid was able to get in touch with one of the many stranded Somali immigrant in the Libyan capital Tripoli. He spoke by telephone with Mohamed Barawani at 3am in local Libyan time on Sunday. Mr. Barawani discussed about difficulties facing him and other black migrant workers in Libya. He revealed that many have barricaded themselves in their homes in fear of being arrested by the Libyan government or be caught up in the mercenary hysteria.
Although life is much calmer in Tripoli than other parts of the country, foreign workers from sub-Sahara countries are afraid to go out and there is no safe means to exit the country to neighboring countries, Barawani told me.
“We are hearing that the government forces are arresting black people claiming it is only for their safety, although most of us are trying to leave the country. And on the other hand, angry public is discharging their frustration on us. Hundreds of Somalis were already kicked from their homes and now they are seeking refuge in the Somali embassy building in Tripoli. People are running out of food and money. I don’t know how we will survive if this war continues,” he said.
Mr. Barawani talked about how migrant workers are being harassed and robbed on daily bases by Libyan mobs. He says a number of them were robbed out of their money, telephones and other belongings. The prices of food and other commodities already skyrocketed in the last few weeks. This has made their livelihood more difficult. Most migrant workers work in construction jobs, agriculture and as street vendors. In absence of basic security, it impossible to earn a living or get access to basic food, Mr. Barawani added.
For long, Libya has been a gateway for young people from sub-Sahara countries seeking a better life in Europe. Refugee and migrant workers from Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Senegal, Chad, Nigeria and other sub-Sahara countries are the majority of people who came under attacks according to human right groups. The United Nation refugee advocate agencies believe there are more than 8,000 registered refugees in Libya and a further 3,000 asylum-seekers with cases still pending.
Mr. Barawani spoke about how difficult it was already for foreign black people because of harsh implementation of anti-migration policy Libya holds with European countries.
“It was already hard for us to get jobs or get by in Libya. People harassed us in public places and we could not get decent jobs. Thugs and thieves knew we could not call police for protection; we lived under constant threat. Now, with rumors going around that black people are killing Libyans, we are afraid to even go outside our homes. And we have no safe passage out of the country at the moment,” he cited
Mr. Barawani told me that few people were trying to reach the Tunisian border and that he was still waiting to hear from them, if it is safe for him to follow next. He said that other nations have sent out ships and planes to evacuate their citizens, but Somalis do not have a government to help or protect. He added, that there are women and children who are living under extreme conditions; food and money have ran out.
Mr. Barawani went on to ask me if I have news of evacuation operations for asylum seekers like himself. I could only tell him what I read in the news that the UN has been urging EU states to open their doors for refugees and that the United States forces were distributing food reliefs on the Tunisia border. He says that he will attempt to reach Tunisia, but he is afraid of being arrested by Libyan forces.
The United Nations refugee agency today voiced alarm at increasing accounts of violence and discrimination in Libya against sub-Saharan Africans in both the rebel-held east and the Government-controlled west. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) “reiterates its call on all parties to recognize the vulnerability of both refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and to take measures to ensure their protection,” spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in Geneva.
Source: Somalilandpress
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