Bangladeshis fleeing Libya facing assaults, looting

Migrant workers escaping to Tunisia from Libya through the Ras Jdir border describe the ordeal of their perilous journey from the chaotic North African country.
Nearly 500 Bangladeshis and a thousand African nationals entered Tunisia in the last 24 hours. Many of them said they were intercepted, frisked, beaten up and robbed of their belongings on the way to the border.
“Groups of armed men were prowling the road to Ras Jdir. They robbed us of all our possessions -- money, cell phones and whatever they thought valuable,” said 40-year-old Kashem Mia from Mymensingh on his arrival at Ras Jdir on Thursday afternoon after a twelve-hour journey from Bani Walid in Libya.
“I along with four other Bangladeshis and a dozen nationals of other countries spent the last two weeks inside dormitories with gunshots ringing out all around us,” said Azfar, who was travelling in a group of five.
The 20-year-old youth said they spent all their money to migrate to Libya ten months ago.
"We waited and hoped the situation would improve. But we soon realised it would not be possible for us to survive there,” he said.
They contacted a Libyan microbus driver, who agreed to take them to the Tunisian border for an exorbitant 180 Libyan dinars each.
Armed men intercepted them at an intersection on the main road, asked the workers to hand them their cell phones and frisked them thoroughly.
“I hid 500 dinars in my shoes. I was scared to death when an armed man pointed his gun at me and asked me to take off my shoes. He looked inside them but could not find the money,” said Mamun.
On arrival at Choucha camp yesterday, Bangladeshi migrant Moslem said, “We do not know whether they were supporters of Gaddafi or rebels.”
"They were only looking for money and any valuables -- i-pod, sunglasses, electronic goods or even a pair of trousers,” he said.
Another migrant worker Sabuj from Mymensingh said, “We kept our mobile sets and money with the driver. When we reached a barricade on the road, he handed over everything to the armed men.”
Bangladeshi migrants at Choucha camp said they saw bodies lying by the road while fleeing to the border area.
Tunisian officials said they had information that a few fleeing migrants had been shot at.
An immigration official at Ras Jdir border said they could not confirm any of the incidents, as nobody dared to enter Libya since the fighting broke out in late February.
As migrant workers, including Bangladeshis, crossed the Tunisian border check post, they were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Tunisians. A group of elderly Tunisians opened a small reception centre there and served them fresh milk, dates and bottled water.
Tunisian volunteers from several aid organisations led the Bangladeshi migrants to a luxury bus to Choucha camp, some five kilometres off the place.
IOM officials at Choucha camp yesterday read out the names of 288 Bangladeshis to be flown home by a Jordanian chartered aircraft in the evening.
With more Bangladeshis escaping from Libya and fewer flights to bring them home, it appears the repatriation of stranded Bangladeshis might take a longer time than expected.