Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Nigerian and Ghanian migrants targeted by rebels in Libya

A Nigerian migrant Godspower Wilfred,living in Libya has taken


shelter in a makeshift camp in the south of Tripoli. He is afraid for
his life; not only is he in the middle of a deadly and bloody conflict,
Wilfred is a target to Libyan rebel forces.
"If you go out in the streets, people will hold you and say you are fighting for Gaddafi. I am not a fighter," Wilfred said.

He is one of the many migrants from sub-saharan Africa suspected for being pro-Gaddafi forces and hunted down as such.
During his reign, embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had employed nationals from other African countries as part of a special protection forces.
Now the special forces are left without the protection of Gaddafi
and with the battle taking off in Tripoli, the migrants say "skin
colour alone is enough to mark them out as Gaddafi supporters."
Hassan Abdallah, a migrant from Ghana, finds himself in much the same situation as his Nigerian counterpart, Wilfred.
"Some people are saying that it's the blacks who co-operated with Libyan
soldiers to shoot them or whatever," Abdallah said.
"But we are not among them," he added.
According to reports, the bodies of at least 20 black African men were found outside Gaddafi's compound after rebels captured Tripoli, with their hands tied and a gun shot wound to the head.
With the hunt still on, Abdallah and Wilfred, alongside about 200 migrants, mostly from Nigeria and Ghana, make do with the
harsh conditions of their refugee camp in the south of Tripoli.


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