Ghanaians in Libya Massacred

Rounded up in camps and roasted Ghanaians in Libya massacred
*Evacuate us all in 4 days else...
*Cry of Ghana Mission *National emergency

Special Report Raymond Archer

GOVERNMENT official sources are refusing to give exact figures but Chronicle has learnt that scores of Ghanaians have been roasted and others beaten to death by marauding bands of Libyans in Tripoli, ironically a country whose leader is perceived as a friend of Ghana and closest ally of President Rawlings.

No clear reason has been fathomed but there has been consistent reports that an increasing crime wave in the country has caused Libyans to look at black Africans in general and Ghanaians in particular as criminal elements because on some occasions, Ghanaian passports have been found at crime scenes.

Chronicle investigations confirmed officially yesterday indicate that emergency preparations are underway by government to evacuate all Ghanaians in Libya back to Ghana following these.

Chronicle Intelligence reviewed an urgent SOS message telexed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday by Alhaji B.A Fuseini, ambassador to the Ghana Mission in Tripoli, strongly recommending an urgent evacuation of all Ghanaians from Libya within the next three or four days.

Reports reaching government from the Ghana Mission in Tripoli indicate that on there was a massacre of Ghanaians on September, 24, at about 10:00 am, when Libyans totaling about 1000 attacked the Ghanaian community at their Refugee Camp in EL-ZAWIA and set it on fire resulting in several fatalities and serious injuries.

Impeccable sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the Ghanaians victims who had sustained various degrees of wounds and burns and were in critical conditions had been hauled to unknown destinations by Libyan police and some deposited at the mission. The mission is said to be arranging for them to be given medical attention.

As at 10: am, Sunday, reports from Libya indicated that Ghanaians from all corners of Libya had massed up in front of the Mission pressing for their evacuation to Ghana. Officials said most Ghanaians have expressed the wish to be evacuated back home.

Ministry Officials told Chronicle that Libyan authorities have indicated that they were prepared to provide transport for Ghanaians who want to leave the country but this has been rejected by the Ghana Mission because previous experience with the Libyans had shown that they could dump them at some place in the desert to perish.

“This is not trusted since as have happened before, on previous occasions, they can be dumped at some place in the desert and abandoned. Mission strongly recommends evacuation within 3 or 4 days,” a mission official said.

According to them the Mission needs $10 per head, or $3200 every day to feed the thousands of Ghanaians who have massed up at the Ghana embassy.

The Ghana mission suggested that any evacuation attempt by the government should take into consideration the number of Ghanaians who are scattered in villages and towns in Libya who will obviously wish to be evacuated. Meanwhile, Official counting of the Ghanaians begun yesterday.

The Mission’s authorities said Ghanaians have no place to go except the embassy since they have been forcibly ejected from their homes by Libyan landlords who are not prepared to accept them back to their homes.

Meanwhile, other African nationals including Nigeriens and Nigerians have all taken refuge in their embassies and demanding that they should be evacuated to their various countries before it was too late. The Nigeriens are reported to have held hostage officials of their embassy until they evacuated them from Libya. Ghana’s mission also expressed fears that similar actions could be taken by the Ghanaians if the matter was not treated with urgency.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Chronicle that they were about to send a proposal to Cabinet to mobilize a flight and get some money to convey the Ghanaians home. AWe have also made contacts with the International organization for Migration for some assistance” they added.

The Libyan security agency are reported to have sent several other Ghanaians including children and pregnant women to detention Camps at ZANZOO, KOSOVO and VIETNAM all in Libya due to the congestion at the Ghana embassy.

Ministry officials had previously told the Chronicle during inquiries that they had received various reports of the brutalization of Ghanaians in Libya and that at it was so serious that it became a subject of discussion at a meeting of all ambassadors held in Tripoli recently. The Libyan government they said, promised at the meeting to live peacefully with the Ghanaians and regard them as brothers.

Pieces of information put together and scores of interviews conducted by the Chronicle before this incident on Sunday, revealed that a Ghanaian is found death on the streets of Zenata, sherigia and Dirbi almost everyday.

Two pregnant Ghanaian women, who were interviewed by the Chronicle upon arrival in Ghana last week told the Chronicle that the Libyans who usually attack and ransack their camps, brutalize and steal their belongings.

“The Libyans are killing the Ghanaians too much, They usually organize themselves into groups and troop to areas where the Ghanaian population is high and beat, harass and sometimes kill a number of them.” they told the Chronicle last week.

Narrating her ordeal to the Chronicle, a wet-eyed woman, Yaa Rose, who is in her eighth month of pregnancy and was coming back to Ghana to deliver said she was stripped naked at Tripoli Airport, and subjected to hours of harassment by Libyan Immigration officers.

Monies and parcels given to her by other Ghanaians to deliver to their relatives in Ghana were all confiscated by the Libyan Immigration. She said her bag and its contents were also seized by the Libyan Immigration.

According to her the Libyan Immigration collected $2100 from her but they issued her a receipt covering only $1500 and asked her to come and tell the Ghana government to collect the money on her behalf.

Madam Yaa Rose added that another Ghanaian, who was bringing his brother who had developed mental problems, could not come because the Immigration officials collected his $3200 and gave him only $200.

She said Ghanaians could hardly walk free on the streets of Libya or sit in public transport without being attacked and brutalized by Libyan security agents. When you are in a taxi going to the market, they will bring you down and beat you for several hours before leaving you to continue your journey.

The pregnant woman noted that Ghanaians have been ejected out of their homes and have settled in refugee cam ps, some of which are very close to rubbish dumps.