I den libyske hovedstad underbringes de komfortabelt i byens gamle Zoo, men de tænker kun på én ting: Europa – og der kommer stadig flere, for ørkenlandets grænsebevogtning er en by i Rusland, fortæller undrende militsleder med et beklagende skuldertræk.
TRIPOLI, 14 October 2013 (IRIN): At the end of the Libyan civil war two years ago, Ben Suleiman’s militia brigade moved from fighting pro-Gaddafi forces to looking after more than 200 species of animal, including lions, crocodiles and hippopotami (flodheste), in Tripoli’s zoo.
But the post-war increase in migrants travelling through Libya in the hope of attempting the sea crossing to Europe has given his forces a new task – detaining and processing illegal immigrants.
“The increase has been unbelievable,” Suleiman, head of the brigade based in the grounds of the zoo, told IRIN.
“It seems like every time we deport 10 migrants, a 100 come into the system. It is because there is nobody guarding the borders. It is so easy to come back in.”
An average of 50 new migrants are sent to the zoo centre every day, with up to 17 being held in each cell. They are usually held for 1-8 hours and after being questioned are either released or transferred to another detention centre.
Suleiman’s brigade works under the Interior Ministry’s special immigration wing and makes frequent raids on boats that are setting off for Europe from the beaches around Tripoli, often detaining as many as 150 people in a single raid.
“On our last raid pregnant women and a baby only a couple of months old were among the passengers,” said Suleiman. “These people do not care about the risk. They will risk everything they have. All they have in their mind is Europe.”
Helped camels – now he assists people
As the migration problem worsened, the brigade’s remit (område) was expanded to include migration issues, and the detention centre was opened.
Previously, one militiaman, a Tebu from the south, had helped a camel through a difficult birth – spending three days with the animal.
Now their minds are on the human detainees passing through the zoo.
Despite being held on the same site as some of Africa’s most dangerous animals, conditions at the zoo holding centre are considered far better than many others in the country.
The detainees are in an air-conditioned room, and those that spoke to IRIN said they were well looked after; they looked in good health.
The zoo itself is on a sprawling site.
Suleiman says this is why it was selected as a good location for a detention centre. It also includes an underground section; a Gaddafi-era military base that is now flooded.
It was the only Gaddafi base not to be hit by NATO, according to Suleiman. He thinks maybe they were reluctant to kill all the animals.
Plea for help
Læs videre på
http://www.irinnews.org/report/98943/libya-calls-for-eu-help-to-tackle-illegal-immigrants
