A community of Africans in Libya are reportedly living in fear as government authorities launch manhunt to gather and deport undocumented migrants.
The migrants who fled their home countries in search of greener pastures are reportedly trapped in a desperate struggle for survival as they face deportation.
Most of the migrants who were stranded in Libya were deceived into believing free passage to Europe through the country. Libya shares a border with Tunisia, which also leads to Italy- the destination of some of the migrants. Libya also shares a border with Algeria, Sudan and Egypt.
Among the migrants, some Kano Indigenes share their experiences with dailyreliable.com.ng. Fiddausi Saidu regrets coming to Libya as she was deceived by an agent who promised her a free trip and a job in an Arab home. Upon arrival she discovers she had been deceived.
Most of the Migrants share the same story, they come in search of greener pastures but arrive there and face stranger situations. Khadeeja shared a similar story with dailyreliable.com.ng. She said: “We came to Libya in search of greener pastures, but living in Nigeria is becoming more harsh due to economic depression. Now, we’re locked in our rented houses, in fear of humiliation and deportation.”
One of the stranded Kano indigenes in the Gidan Waya village, 2000 kilometers from Tripoli, described their situation as humiliating and depressing. He said: “All immigrants from African countries, including Nigeria, are facing humiliation and ill treatment from the authorities. We’re being hunted like animals, and our only crime is seeking a better life.”
Efforts have been made in the past by international organisations such as the International Organization of Migration(IOM) to ensure the safe return of some migrants back to their home country. Most of the returnees were voluntary migrants who preferred to return back to their home countries.
According to a statement from IOM, in 2021 when efforts were made to help migrants return, a Nigerian named Yousef immediately volunteered to return to his country of origin. He said:
“It has been six years since I first came to Libya, and I haven’t seen my big family,” this was when he visited an IOM facility for a medical assessment prior to his trip. While it was difficult to be away for so long, he looked forward to reuniting with his family in Nigeria.
Libya has long been an important transit and destination country for migrants arriving from different parts of Africa. The IOM’s displacement data states that Nigerians make up 6% of migrants in Libya, the country’s fifth largest migrant population. Libya followed by Niger and Mali are the primary transit countries for Nigerian migrants.
Manhunt for illegal migrants poses difficult questions, how were the migrants smuggled into the country in the first place? Are there no authorities put in place to ensure legal passage of people? Are resources only put into hunting migrants instead of helping them return to their countries of origin?
The harsh economic realities being faced in countries such as Nigeria pushes most to search for greener pastures abroad. This has led to human trafficking and displacement. Economic reforms need to be put in place and citizens need to be properly enlightened against human traffickers.
