[size=14pt]Africans hunted down in "liberated" Libya[/size]


African stopped in his car by Libyan vigilante groups, accusing him of being a mercenary

© Anonymous/afrol News
afrol News, 28 February - As defected army units and civilians in "liberated" eastern Libya are eager to demonstrate unity, "African mercenaries" are increasingly singled out as the enemy. Africans are systematically hunted down.

"Mercenaries" is the most used word among anti-Ghaddafi Libyans these days. It is increasingly used to describe everybody loyal to the Ghaddafi regime, while it for most people refers to "Black Africans" allegedly in the regime's service.

As one city after the other gets "liberated", mostly following the defection of Libyan army and police units, civilians and Libyan troops agree to stop mentioning the recent fights between Libyan nationals. The "mercenaries" were and are the enemy.

Sidsel Wold, an experienced journalist from Norway's 'NRK' broadcaster currently in Al-Bayda, experienced the rhetoric first-handedly. She was told that the large battle about this east Libyan city had been fought around an army barrack, which everybody referred to as being defended by "mercenaries".

Let to film the captured "mercenaries", most turned out to have an Arab appearance. The few persons of sub-Saharan African appearance were all in civilian clothes. It became clear that several of these African "mercenaries" had been captured after the fighting.

Ms Wold also witnessed and filmed the interrogation of a captured Chadian citizen by a defected army officer. The Chadian, with civilian clothes, insisted he was a normal "civilian; a worker." Asked why he and four other Africans had been observed fleeing, he said he had been "scared by the shooting."

The defected Libyan army officer clearly stated he did "not believe" him. The attempt by a group of five sub-Saharan Africans to escape the city was "suspicious" in itself. The group was kept in detention - however in seemingly humane conditions - suspected of being "mercenaries".

In Al-Bayda, the hunt-down and arbitrary arrest of sub-Saharan Africans goes
Alcohol bottles found in an abandoned tank in Libya are presented as "proof" it was driven by mercenaries

© Anonymous/afrol News
on. Ms Wold also spoke to a group of Libyan youths, monitoring the streets in accordance with the city's interim authorities - made up of civilians and defected army officers. The youths openly told her they were out, trying "to catch mercenaries to hand them over to authorities."

Reports from other "liberated" Libyan cities are similar. In Benghazi last week, citizens attacked and destroyed a building housing 36 citizens from Chad, Niger and Sudan. The Africans were accused of being "mercenaries" and subsequently arrested, local residents told Western journalists.

The brave anti-Ghaddafi Libyans reporting about their fight against the regime through social media in the internet or by telephone are sending out the same message. The "Libyan Youth Movement", standing in constant phone contact with Libyans in the war zone and sending updates and videos via social media, generally refers to those still resisting the popular revolution as "mercenaries".

These sources frequently talk about interim authorities in "liberated cities" arming local youths to go after "mercenaries". There are frequent messages in a victorious tone about "mercenaries running away from protesters" and youths "catching mercenaries."

Equally disturbing, the most appalling scenes - including the butchering of Libyan children and women - are always attributed "mercenaries", seemingly in the belief that a Libyan would never do such barbaric acts. No documentation of the perpetrator is ever presented.

As the public hatred against the "black African mercenaries" is increasing, not all Africans arbitrarily captured are treated as humanely as by Al-Bayda interim authorities. There is a growing number of reports about sub-Sahara
Alleged mercenary captured by Libyan protesters and protected against a lynching mob

© Anonymous/afrol News
n Africans being killed by lynching mobs in "liberated Libya".

For example, last week a Turkish construction worker told the 'BBC': "We had 70-80 people from Chad working for our company. They were cut dead with pruning shears and axes, attackers saying: 'You are providing troops for Ghaddafi.' The Sudanese were also massacred. We saw it for ourselves."

A Sierra Leonean worker in Tripoli reported to his friend: "All black Africans are becoming targets. I write to inform you how deteriorating the condition in Tripoli is getting by the hour, especially for us black Africans who have been threatened by violence accused of siding with the regime."

"Somalis in Tripoli say they are being hunted on suspicion of being mercenaries," spokesperson Melissa Fleming of the UN's refugee agency UNHCR recently reported, adding the agency was "increasingly concerned."

'Time' journalist Abigail Hauslohner, currently in Benghazi, talked to volunteers Hayan Salaama and Idris Shebany saying they were "afraid people will attack the Africans." Workers were attacked while making their escape, they added. A Ghanaian worker added: "The Libyans, when they see the blacks, they will kill them."

The number of sub-Saharan Africans residing in Libya is unclear, but civil society sources speak of "several hundreds of thousands" legally registered Africans. In addition, a very large number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers are in the country.

It is widely believed that there indeed are mercenary troops in Libya, event though the proof presented is poor. Several sources speak of a secrete recruitment of mercenaries among several rebel groups the Ghaddafi regime has supported through its history; especially from th
Photo of a killed pro-Ghaddafi fighter, allegedly documenting the existence of "black African mercenaries" in Libya

© Anonymous/afrol News
e ongoing Darfur conflict.

No reliable sources are found documenting this, however. The Libyan League of Human Rights today claimed that there were around 6,000 mercenaries in Libya, "of which 3,000 are in Tripoli." But it presents no documentation.

Several videos and photos, allegedly documenting groups of mercenaries in Libya, circulate in the internet. Most tell little about the origin of these pro-Ghaddafi forces, which also could be Libyan. A few however show dark-skinned individuals - plain-clothed or uniformed - seemingly of African origin.

The few Africans caught with weapons and speaking to Western journalists claimed not to be mercenaries, but were looking for work in Libya. They claimed to have been picked up by officials and promised work in Tripoli. In the capital, they were sent to army barracks; given arms and a large sum of money and ordered to shoot at protesters.

But most sub-Saharan Africans arbitrarily detained in "liberated Libya" deny ever to have taken part in the fighting, saying they are workers or looking for work.

Stronger and stronger doubts about the existence of African mercenaries are emerging. Today, scared Ghanaians finally left to flee to Egypt said they were forced "to pose as mercenaries" by Libyans, who later posted their pictures on social media such as YouTube and Facebook.

No African government, not even the African Union (AU) - has reacted to the claims of African mercenaries in Libya, except Chad. "Chadians are not sent or recruited in Chad to serve as mercenaries in Libya," government said in a recent statement, adding that reports about Chadian mercenaries were "likely to cause serious physical and material harm to Chadians residing in Libya."


By staff writers

© afrol News


http://www.afrol.com/articles/37465

is it not about time the African nations started laying our hands on the arab terrorists?

In light of the events taking place in Libya, I suggest that an AU force be sent to Libya with the backing of the UN. Their mission would be to ensure that no more black Africans are being killed (stop the genocide). And they should observe the chain of events unfolding in Libya.
Because I think this revolution of theirs is going to be very nasty and lengthy. Peace may be elusive in Libya for some time to come.

hope they're not planning a genocide over there.

such things almost always preceed or indicate a civil war.

Arosa:

In light of the events taking place in Libya, I suggest that an AU force be sent to Libya with the backing of the UN. Their mission would be to ensure that no more black Africans are being killed (stop the genocide). And they should observe the chain of events unfolding in Libya.
Because I think this revolution of theirs is going to be very nasty and lengthy. Peace may be elusive in Libya for some time to come.

True, Libya is the new Afghanistan. A lawless land with no government and civilians roaming the deserts in sophisticated tanks.

The AU is powerless though, cos it was Gaddafi's biggest toy. The Black World really needs to stand up and be counted in its own affairs.

Beaf said:

True, Libya is the new Afghanistan. A lawless land with no government and civilians roaming the deserts in sophisticated tanks.

The AU is powerless though, cos it was Gaddafi's biggest toy. The Black World really needs to stand up and be counted in its own affairs.

For me, the first mistake they made was forming an ''African Union'' with Arabs and north ''Africans''.

That singular act indicates a people who have completely lost all knowledge of their history. Even their recent history.

These African leaders need to read The Destruction of Black Civilization by the late Dr Chancellor Williams.

Dr Williams, an Oxford trained African-American historian and anthropologist, spent nearly 20 years of his life travelling throughout Africa, researching that book, which has been called ''The Black Man's Bible''.

Anyone who reads that book will know that it makes no sense at all, that it is in fact COMICAL, for Africans to be in any sort of ''union'' with Arabs.

ROSSIKE:

Beaf said:

For me, the first mistake they made was forming an ''African Union'' with Arabs and north ''Africans''.

These African leaders need to read The Destruction of Black Civilization by the late Dr Chancellor Williams.

Dr Williams, an Oxford trained African-American historian and anthropologist, spent nearly 20 years of his life travelling throughout Africa, researching that book, which has been called ''The Black Man's Bible''.

Anyone who reads that book will know that it makes no sense at all, that it is in fact COMICAL, for Africans to be in any sort of ''union'' with Arabs.

Did he visit Onicha?

No he didn't. Or at least he didn't write about it. But believe me it didn't matter. He visited more than enough places to make his point.

ROSSIKE:

Beaf said:

For me, the first mistake they made was forming an ''African Union'' with Arabs and north ''Africans''.

That singular act indicates a people who have completely lost all knowledge of their history. Even their recent history.

These African leaders need to read The Destruction of Black Civilization by the late Dr Chancellor Williams.

Dr Williams, an Oxford trained African-American historian and anthropologist, spent nearly 20 years of his life travelling throughout Africa, researching that book, which has been called ''The Black Man's Bible''.

Anyone who reads that book will know that it makes no sense at all, that it is in fact COMICAL, for Africans to be in any sort of ''union'' with Arabs.

Got that book years ago, but have only partially read it.
Its got a lot of informative maps, photo's and illustrations covers 4500bc to 2000ad.

I have one question for all you democratic apologists.

-does England practice democracy since the queen is the head of government and her position is not up for grab ? Why are britains not protesting since the prime minister is still surbodinate to the queen ?

~Bluetooth:

I have one question for all you democratic apologists.

-does England practice democracy since the queen is the head of government and her position is not up for grab ? Why are britains not protesting since the prime minister is still surbodinate to the queen ?

The Prime Minister is not subordinate to the Queen in any way. The Queen is titular head of state, which is a ceremonial position. No one asks her opinion before policy is hammered out and actioned, she just reads one or two speeches and does as she is directed.

The royal house represents a beautiful piece of British history (its got worms as well) and the Brits who some accuse of lacking culture and tradition, choose to keep their royalty alive as supreme proof of culture and an icon of history.

Beaf, please, read that book properly from start to finish. You cannot have that book and not know its thrust inside out.

In fact, reading the book gives one a deep understanding of the problems confronting the black race today, what we're doing wrong, and how to end it. Please, I beg you, read it fully. Thanks.

Beaf:

The Prime Minister is not subordinate to the Queen in any way. The Queen is titular head of state, which is a ceremonial position. No one asks her opinion before policy is hammered out and actioned, she just reads one or two speeches and does as she is directed.

The royal house represents a beautiful piece of British history (its got worms as well) and the Brits who some accuse of lacking culture and tradition, choose to keep their royalty alive as supreme proof of culture and an icon of history.

Even though I see you weren't direct to tell me the system of goverment practised in England but that is sysem is not different from what is applicable in saudi,china and jordan.
however,democratic forces are rooting for liberal values in china and jordan despite the long history of that sysem of goverment .why are british people not protesting the queen's position ? Is that also democrazy ?

ezeagu:

Did he visit Onicha?

Cursed is the day i can not spell ABEOKUTA my hometown properly or any other Town in the whole YORUBA land. Cursed is the day you posted this garbage.

seanet02:

Cursed is the day i can not spell ABEOKUTA my hometown properly or any other Town in the whole YORUBA land. Cursed is the day you posted this garbage.

Seanet02

Hahahahaha , I am laughing at your ignorance.

@ seanet02

onicha is an alternative (though admittedly not common) spelling of onitsha.

also, some towns in delta are called onicha.


make una find am wife abeg.

As nations evacuate their citizens from the violence gripping Libya, many African migrant workers are targeted because they are suspected of being mercenaries hired by Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader.

Dozens of workers from sub-Saharan Africa are feared killed, and hundreds are in hiding, as angry mobs of anti-government protesters hunt down "black African mercenaries," according to witnesses.

About 90 Kenyans and another 64 citizens from South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Burundi landed in Nairobi on Monday, according to officials.

"We were being attacked by local people who said that we were mercenaries killing people. Let me say that they did not want to see black people," Julius Kiluu, a 60-year-old building supervisor, told Reuters.

"Our camp was burnt down, and we were assisted by the Kenyan embassy and our company to get to the airport," he said.

Rights organisations say that thousands of workers are stranded in camps and private homes, protected by their colleagues as their governments fail to evacuate them from the chaos.

"But why is nobody concerned about the plight of sub-Saharan African migrants in Libya? As victims of racism and ruthless exploitation, they are Libya's most vulnerable immigrant population, and their home country governments do not give them any support," Hein de Haas, a senior fellow with the International Migration Institute, writes in his blog.

Al Jazeera’s Nazenine Moshiri met Seidou Boubaker Jallou, a Malian citizen, who said he fled Libya after many black migrants came under attack.

"The most dangerous situation is for foreigners like us - and also us black people - because Gaddafi brought soldiers from Chad and Niger who reportedly killed Arabs," he said.

Experts say that Gaddafi has had a long relationship with African fighters who now came to his assistance.

Low-paid labourers

Hundreds of black immigrants from poor African countries, who mainly work in Libya’s oil industry as cheap labourers, have also been injured in the violence. Some were unable to seek medical treatment for fear of being killed.

Saad Jabbar, deputy director of the North Africa Centre at Cambridge University, confirms Africans have become targets.

"I tell you, these people, because of their scheme, they will be slaughtered in Libya. There is so much anger there against those mercenaries, which suddenly sprung up," Jabbar said.

About 1.5m Sub-Saharan African migrants work in Libya as low-paid labourers in the oil industry, construction, agriculture and service sectors.

Rights organisations say some anti-Gaddafi protesters wrongly associate African workers with state-sponsored violence.

"African immigrants are now linked to state-orchestrated violence and mass killings, and we may therefore fear the worst about the violent backlash that may follow particularly after Gaddafi is ousted," said Haas.

Ignored by their governments, African workers are one of the most vulnerable groups in Libya right now. Analysts say unless a preventative measure is taken, a massive bloodletting is feared.

"I think it is urgent to do something about it now, otherwise, a genocide against anyone who has black skin and who doesn't speak perfect Arabic is possible," said Jabbar.


Source:

www.english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/201122865814378541.html

shotster50:

Seanet02

Hahahahaha , I am laughing at your ignorance.

No you're wrong,he's right

tpiah!:

@ seanet02

onicha is an alternative (though admittedly not common) spelling of onitsha.

also, some towns in delta are called onicha.

I think he is referring to the Onicha in Delta state(check his siggy) as that is the only way he could be right.As in Onich-Ugbo,Onicha-Olona,which are usually shortened to Onicha

^^^
As per Onitsha,I think the more acceptable short form is Osha

Beaf:

The Prime Minister is not subordinate to the Queen in any way. The Queen is titular head of state, which is a ceremonial position. No one asks her opinion before policy is hammered out and actioned, she just reads one or two speeches and does as she is directed.

The royal house represents a beautiful piece of British English history (its got worms as well) and the Brits Anglos who some accuse of lacking culture and tradition, choose to keep their royalty alive as supreme proof of culture and an icon of history.

An edit of a Welsh, Scottish and Irish man.

ezeagu:

An edit of a Welsh, Scottish and Irish man.

The Scots are involved in the UK Monarchy.


As for the other two, I agree.

PhysicsMHD:


The Scots are involved in the UK Monarchy.


As for the other two, I agree.

The whole of Western Europe is involved in the UK monarchy. The Scottish people don't recognise the UK monarchy as their own.

ezeagu:

The whole of Western Europe is involved in the UK monarchy. The Scottish people don't recognise the UK monarchy as their own.

You might be right, although I have never heard the Scottish people denouncing the UK monarchy as not also theirs, so until you provide some evidence for this . . .it's seems like speculation on your part. Obviously there are some Scots that want an independent Scotland, but that's kind of another matter entirely.

My comment was referring to the fact that it was actually a Scottish king (James I of "England" that unified the monarchies of Scotland and England, and not the other way around. So they've been involved since the 1600s.

If you saw that movie, The Queen (I saw it on an airplane; I wouldn't have paid to see it), you would have noticed all those royals, including the Queen and her husband, wearing Scottish kilts. Assuming the depiction was reasonably accurate, it would be pretty weird behavior for them to engage in, if they weren't acknowledging their Scottish ancestry.

PhysicsMHD:

You might be right, although I have never heard the Scottish people denouncing the UK monarchy as not also theirs, so until you provide some evidence for this . . .it's seems like speculation on your part. Obviously there are some Scots that want an independent Scotland, but that's kind of another matter entirely.

My comment was referring to the fact that it was actually a Scottish king (James I of "England" that unified the monarchies of Scotland and England, and not the other way around. So they've been involved since the 1600s.

If you saw that movie, The Queen (I saw it on an airplane; I wouldn't have paid to see it), you would have noticed all those royals, including the Queen and her husband, wearing Scottish kilts. Assuming the depiction was reasonably accurate, it would be pretty weird behavior for them to engage in, if they weren't acknowledging their Scottish ancestry.

You don't need to rely on nairaland, just as a British person how well Scottish and English people get on. They were with the monarchy from the beginning, but the Germans came too, the French people came too. . . . I'm not saying every Scottish person dislikes the monarchy, but the Queen is seen more of an English queen.

It wasn't an English or Scottish man who first carved up the whole of England for his people. The royal family wear kilt, but at the same time their prince is the prince of Wales and the welsh dragon is everywhere, including here:

http://welshrugbyblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/welsh-pound.jpg

But we know these other people don't see these people as their king.

I suppose you're probably right. I know the Scottish and English have a lot of beef. But the view they probably have of the UK monarchy as English is ironic since it was their (Scottish) king that initiated the unification of the monarchies. Otherwise they might still have a purely Scottish king/queen.

rasputinn:

No you're wrong,he's right
I think he is referring to the Onicha in Delta state(check his siggy) as that is the only way he could be right.As in Onich-Ugbo,Onicha-Olona,which are usually shortened to Onicha

Dont want to drag this but you are wrong. Onitsha is most times pronounced onicha, There are several Onicha towns in the east,

shotster50:

Dont want to drag this but you are wrong. Onitsha is most times pronounced onicha, There are several Onicha towns in the east,

Please do drag it out as I maintain you are wrong.Onitsha is NEVER spelt as Onicha by ANYBODY.It's only pronounced as Onicha,but NEVER spelt that way.Once you write Onicha,then you must be referring other towns but Osha whether beofre or across the Niger.

PhysicsMHD

If you saw that movie, The Queen (I saw it on an airplane; I wouldn't have paid to see it), you would have noticed all those royals, including the Queen and her husband, wearing Scottish kilts. Assuming the depiction was reasonably accurate, it would be pretty weird behavior for them to engage in, if they weren't acknowledging their Scottish ancestry.

@PhysicsMHD,
Well, the Royals wearing kilts is partly to affirm the unity, 'rulership' and relevance of the monarchy to the Union(United-Kingdom). Besides, it makes good 'political' and 'cultural' sense to 'ingratiate' and impress your hosts by adopting their national/traditional clothes. The Royals are politically savvy. They are aware of the rabid nationalism of certain sections of the Scottish nation. The true ancestry of the British Royalty is Germany. The Queen's mum is from Scotland so there's a small link.

ROSSIKE

For me, the first mistake they made was forming an ''African Union'' with Arabs and north ''Africans''.
That singular act indicates a people who have completely lost all knowledge of their history. Even their recent history.

@ROSSIKE

You maybe right but it is like abandoning your prime land and heritage to marauding robbers altogether. Sincerely, I'm very much interested in reclaiming every centimetre of African Lands occupied by so called Arabs. Perhaps, we should all be thankful to the good people of the South Sudan who had the good sense to wage a protracted war against the advance south wards by the Arabs. Already very large tracks of lands have been sold or leased to Arabs from the Emirates in the Sudan. Arab presence in Africa is extremely dangerous for our well being and
existence. Some of our elders have sold us short on so called 'union', 'Pan-Africanism' etc, without much cultural and intellectual rigour.
I noticed that you're recommending a book by Chancellor Williams but I am inclined to recommend any books by the Senegalese Historian, Anthropologist and Physicist( Cheikh Anta Diop) as a fundamental reading before any other books about Africa.

rasputinn:

Onitsha is NEVER spelt as Onicha by ANYBODY.

Are you sure?

rasputinn:

Please do drag it out as I maintain you are wrong.Onitsha is NEVER spelt as Onicha by ANYBODY.It's only pronounced as Onicha,but NEVER spelt that way.Once you write Onicha,then you must be referring other towns but Osha whether beofre or across the Niger.

Lol, Are you serious There are soo many Onichas in Igboland, I dont even know why you are still arguing.

Please find a few instances below:

Onicha LGA, Ebonyi State
Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State
Onicha Nwe-Nkwo in Imo State

onitsha is probably spelled with an s instead of c to distinguish it from the other onicha towns.

just guessing.