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Africa North

Aid group says Libyan militia is holding hostage 60 migrants

2020-10-11

[AlAhram] A Libyan gang is holding hostage at least 60 ~~migrants~~ colonists, including two dozen children, in "appalling"' conditions after abducting them almost two weeks ago, an aid group said on Saturday.

Masked faceless myrmidons kidnapped the ~~migrants~~ colonists on Sept. 28 from the town of al-Ajaylat, around 80 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres. The statement said that the gang initially took hostage around 350 ~~migrants~~ colonists, mainly from West Africa, but that most of the ~~migrants~~ colonists managed to escape while some others were released.

The aid group said that it had notified the Libyan government's agency for combatting illegal migration two days after the abduction, and later visited the warehouse where the ~~migrants~~ colonists were held.

``We found over 350 women, children, and men sleeping on the ground in appalling living conditions without access to water, showers, or toilets,'' said Guillaume Baret, MSF's head of mission in Libya.

The militia stole valuable items and identification documents from the ~~migrants~~ colonists, before taking them to a warehouse guarded by gunnies in the nearby coastal city of Sabratha, the biggest launching point for the mainly African ~~migrants~~ colonists who make the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, the group said.

The Switzerland

...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
-based organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said that the remaining hostages are being held by the militia at a former military base.

Two Sabratha residents and one migrant said most of the gunnies belong to a militia known as al-Ammu, which the U.N. Panel of Experts on Libya identified in 2017 as main controllers of human trafficking. The migrant said the faceless myrmidons are likely seeking ransom from families of the held ~~migrants~~ colonists, or to sell them to other traffickers.

Al-Ammu and another militia, called the Brigade 48, are headed by two brothers from the area's large al-Dabashi family. Both militias are affiliated with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli.

...which has been paying them lots of Italy’s money to prevent migrants from continuing on to Europe. They certainly appear to be continuing to hold up their end of the deal.

The residents and migrant spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. A front man for the Tripoli-based interior ministry did not answer phone calls and messages seeking comment.

The aid group said its medics were only allowed to consult with women and kiddies among the captive ~~migrants~~ colonists, and they were not allowed to treat men. A shooting reportedly broke out following an attempted escape on Oct. 2, and at least three people were killed, it said.

"The situation at the warehouse was tense, with gunnies firing shots into the air,'' the group's statement added.

The ~~migrants~~ colonists' abduction shows the perils that refugees and ~~migrants~~ colonists face in war-torn Libya, with those trapped in the country unable to ``escape violence or find safety,'' according to MSF.

Libya has emerged as a major transit point for African and Arab ~~migrants~~ colonists fleeing violence and poverty to Europe, after the North African country collapsed into civil war following the overthrow and killing in 2011 of longtime dictator Muammar Qadaffy
...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland...

Posted by:trailing wife

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