I Libyens hovedstad Tripoli gemmer migranter med mørk hud sig for den racisme, som lurer i de nye sejrherrers, oprørernes, rækker.
Migranter, især fra Afrika syd for Sahara, udsættes jævnligt for racistisk betonet vold, vilkårlige arrestationer og tilbageholdelser. Race-spændinger er ikke noget nyt i Libyen, men – paradoksalt nok – blusset op efter Gadaffis fald, skriver IRIN tirsdag.
In an abandoned port on the outskirts of Tripoli, a young woman timidly peeks out from behind the blanket that forms a wall in her improvised home. She is one of hundreds of migrants who have gathered in this makeshift camp since a popular uprising to overthrow dictator Muammar Gaddafi spread to the Libyan capital in August.
Racism against blacks has a long history in Libya, but has been a particular problem for sub-Saharan migrants – nationals from countries like Chad, Niger, Sudan, Senegal, Mali and Nigeria – since the uprising began in February. Rebels who fought for Gaddafi’s ouster accused him of using black African mercenaries to help quell the uprising.
Since then, the rebels or their supporters – there’s no chain of command or uniform to identify them absolutely – have arbitrarily arrested, robbed and/or beaten hundreds of migrants, according to testimonies from fleeing migrants, and reports by human rights organizations and journalists. Many migrants have had their money, mobile phones and passports taken.
Despite urging restraint on the part of its supporters, the rebel movement-turned-incoming-government (the ruling National Transitional Council or NTC) has been criticized for not doing enough to halt incidents of racial violence and arbitrary detention. One rebel told IRIN: “If we see black skin, we’ll arrest them and give them to the NTC.”
Læs videre på: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=93763
