Reflections on the Rwandan Genocide and African imgrants

An Iranian man set himself on fire in Amsterdam yesterday.  His reason for doing so? his request for asylum was denied and he could not face the prospect of being forcibly returned home.

 

A couple of years ago, during a trip to Italy where I interviewed Eritrean refugees in Italy, one young man told me of a horrifying tale of being stabbed and shot at while he made his way to a boat about to depart for Europe.  He had paid the required money but they told him the boat was full, he would be left behind, yet again, to fend for himself or face forced deportation.  He said he would rather die and drove into the water risking death by shots from the smugglers.

It may seem inconceivable to readers that there are conditions of life considered worse than death; that individuals can transcend their basic instinct of survival to choose death over life of suffering and no dignity.  But individual migrants make these choices daily as the navigate through some of the most difficult choices.

Such tales are not new to many of us who have families, relatives on the move, whose stories of abuse, detention, beatings and death reach us through different channels.  Many from midnight calls from families desperate to raise a few dollars to help pay smugglers to get them out; out of jail, out of detention; out of the country.     

On April 6^th, BBC reported a boat carrying 250 people sank off of the coast of Lampadusa in Italy. The news was reported in the US as carrying Libyan refugees escaping the conflict.  But Italian and British news sources have confirmed that the majority of those on the boats were in fact Eritrean and Somali refugees.

Conditions for Libyans, Tunisians and Egyptians are desperate following the protests and ongoing conflict, but they are much  worse for those who are refugees in these countries. Lawlessness and lack of basic resources, such as food, water and housing have made their lives living hell for most, who cannot count on any protection from the agencies in the countries, nor from the international community.

For details on conditions of Eritreans in Libya, check out this other blog http://eritrealibya.blogspot.com/2011/03/tragedy-of-eritrean-refugees-caught-up.html

Yesterday, a South African colleague sent me a link to a site marking April 7th as the "Start of 100 days of Commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda."  It stated simply "On this 17th commemoration we remember those who were murdered as well as those who survived. We commit to working towards a day when the pledge "Never Again" becomes a reality.”  

It asks only that we take a moment to remember the day, the period and the senseless killings that resulted in so many deaths over a short period of time.    The Rwandan genocide helps us remember the past in order to reflect on the reality of our present.    The killings of hundreds and even thousands of migrants from around the world cannot be commemorated in a particular month or even a particular country; it is happening everywhere and every day.  

African refugees in Libya - Whose responsibility?

The way migration is discussed in this country one would think it is a problem of the U.S. alone and not a global phenomena about people’s movement, displacement and mis-treatment across national boundaries.

People in the U.S. have always viewed historic events as if this country as the center of the world and those living outside, and particularly in the global south are of no consequence.  But migrants, people who are not born in the U.S. make up over 10% of the U.S. population and do not share this view.

As an immigrant from Eritrea, when I hear of the continued unrest and resistance of the people of Libya – it fills me with hope for their struggle and fear and concern for what is happening to migrants and refugees there.

News reports change daily but the UN figures from today show nearly 200,000 refugees on the Libya-Egypt border alone; another 100,000 or so are across the eastern border to Tunisia.

Daily news bulletins of the BBC  and major newspapers like the Guardian in the UK or the NY Times also have some coverages that address the plight of refugees and displaced persons in these crisis areas of North Africa.  As an Eritrean, I’m also plugged into various listserves and social media connections that have information on what is happening to Eritreans and Somali refugees in Libya.

The stories are heart wrenching; of individuals under siege, afraid to stay and afraid to leave. No government or institution is helping them (with the exception of the UNHCR and they are stretched beyond capacity.) These refugees are virtually ignored by all nations of the world as they try to rescue their respective nationals through air and sea.

A friend in Italy Seleba Welday, who had been in Libya as a refugee himself not too long ago, sent an urgent message on facebook about a group of young Eritrean men who are desperate to escape and in fear for their lives.  The best he could do was give them the UNHCR hotline (UNHCR has established a hotline for refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya: the number is here for those in need +218 214777503).  See also this report from Human Rights Concern Eritrea

The big papers of course focus their stories on Ghaddafi and the government of Libya - stories of those of power and influence – of oil and geopolitical considerations, whether to invade Libya or not, if a military intervention is a better option than economic sanctions, the role of the U.S. of European countries and those of the Arab sates.  Lost in this shuffle are the lives of people who are migrant workers, refugees, displaced persons, poor and inconsequential in the eyes of the powerful.

My friend Bill Minter, editor of one of the best electronic bulletin news, AfricaFocus recently sent me this link from Al Jazeera English.  "Many African migrant workers report that they have been attacked by anti-government protesters, after having been mistaken for mercenaries hired by Gaddafi" in this case, refugees from Sudan find their homes burned to the ground.

Recently, a blog by Tedla Asfaw on Nazareth.com speaks on racial identification of migrants in Libya. “Racism rears its ugly face in Libya uprising live on TV”  tells of the clash between Libyan nationalist activists and “African” mercenaries.     The topic of race and identity between North Africa and Africa South of the Sarah is too long to cover on this blog but deserves some research and analysis.

Some readers may recall similar stories not too long ago about Darfur, Sudan where "Africans" were being attacked by the "Arabs".  Concepts of race and ethnicity get misconstrued when read by audiences in the U.S. whose concept of race is profoundly framed by their own history and limited to the Black/White dichotomy.  It is of course much more nuanced in Africa and other regions of the world.  It is a subject that begs understanding of histories of movement of people from centuries ago.  But, let's be honest, most Americans are not big fans of reading past history – what matters is what is happening now and if CNN does not cover it, it is obviously not important.

For those interested in reading more in this topic, Farai Sevenzo attempts to put a historic perspective on Libya's ties with the rest of Africa for a commentary on BBC. 

But, to get back to the issue of better coverage of news and analysis on what is happening to migrants and refugees in Libya – and especially to migrants and refugees from Sub Saharan African countries, one must ask the question "who is responsible?"  Is it regional institutions from within Africa, like ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)? What are the leaders of West African countries doing to rescue their citizens and nationals?   Who are these so-called mercenaries that Gaddafi has hired, are they mere individuals in it for the money, or trained military personnel with connections to power?  We know they are largely from West African countries, what is ECOWAS responsibility in this regard?   What about the Arab League ? Their biggest concern seems to be the effect the crisis on the price of oil and how to prevent Western intervention and ensure an "Pan-Arab solution."   There is virtually no discussion about the "responsibility to protect" either Arab nationals or all people regardless of ethnicity.

Then lastly and probably most important, what about African Union?  How is it possible that the biggest organization representing the continent should remain  virtually silent on the issue of protection of Africans in times of crisis ?  BBC asked this question “Why has African response to the Libyan crisis been so muted?”

African heads of states (starting from the formation of the pre-AU body, the Organization of African Unity) make it clear that their priorities are perpetuating their stay power and securing their interests and territories.  The citizenry, which is mentioned in the AU vision statement, is clearly not on top agenda now, it never has been.

"Colonel Ghaddafi plays a prominent role in the African Union. Some say he bankrolls the organisation and has been known to pay the dues for many smaller, poorer countries. As a result, African presidents have been accused of staying silent on the situation in his country. "

Mozambique's President Armando Guebuza (pictured) speaks on BBC Network Africa's about Libya."

In his interview, President Guebuza is non committal and does not make clear the responsibility of African heads of state on this matter, only that military intervention is not advised.

I commend the United Nations in its effort to deal with the massive refugees who are crossing borders on a daily basis.   The UNHCR in particular continues to be the voice of the hundreds of thousands who are fleeing across borders. The agency has limited resources (and even more limited mandate) and cannot be the only response to the crisis of displacement in the region.  African governments, and especially the A.U needs to step up to this task.

Another Africa is necessary - why there's a need for a migration-focused blog

News and Analysis on African experience in global migration - by Nunu Kidane

According to the United Nations, an estimated 230 million people in the world today live outside their countries of birth.

This may not seem like such high figure given that the world population is approaching 7 billion. What makes it significant is that the figure has doubled in the last 25 years; less than one generation.  Equally important is that the level of movement is disproportionate across the world.

The above figure from the U.N estimates approximately 2/3 of the people on the move around the world are Africans.

We know that historically, starting from the period of forced removal of Africans from the continent during the slave trade to current day migration; the global African diaspora is the largest in the world.

Depending on how far you look back, Eduard Galeano said it best that “we are all migrants from Africa” after all.

Today’s migration of African however, begs for analysis from multiple approaches: the social, political, cultural and economic.  This blog is partly a response to the gap that exists in academic and political discourse on the particular experiences and perspectives of migrants from Africa.  

There are intermittent news coverage by mass media about African migrants attempting to make it across the Mediterranean to Europe. Other stories include refugees from East Africa attempting to get across the Sahara desert in to Libya and other destinations in North Africa.

For large populations who are on the move, there is unbelievable hardship and ordeal to endure.  Most of the world has no idea on how bad conditions are for millions of refugees across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.  The intermittent news coverage do not even begin to address the issues to the degree they deserve.

As an Eritrean who was forced to leave home because of the war in the region; I have not only a personal experience with being a refugee but also a deep sense of responsibility to the new generation of migrants who are forced to leave their homes, their families, their loved ones, the familiarity and security of family and culture; the warmth of the sun and the enjoyment of being among one's people.  Having the choice to leave home and being away is a difficult process; but being forced to flea for political and economic reasons makes the process even more arduous and challenging.

This blog attempts to bring visibility to these stories, the individuals, their faces and testimonies; as well as some of the little known policies of the African Union, the European Union, multinational institutions, the United Nations and of course the U.S.

It will site articles of interest, videos and images that contribute towards our knowledge and understanding; new studies and publications that are available electronically and in print.  

Whenever possible, I want to hear from you, the migrant and the person on the move. Particularly from women whose numbers in global migration are increasing at alarming rates and whose experiences are particularly distinct.

As I was in the process of preparing to send this out, news from from BBC covered the current crisis of high numbers of Tunisian refugees entering the island of Lampedusa at the southern tip of Italy. It is exactly this kind of news that this blog wants to cover offering analysis on the crisis of the Tunisian people.  Major news media report now only of what is unfolding in Egypt's revolution and do not cover stories of the large numbers of Egyptians who are fleeing the country, trying to enter into Greece and the draconian policies of the European union through their militarized border control Frontex.  More on this later. 

To those who have useful information to share, please do so in the commentary space below or by contacting me directly.

The issue of African migration is part of the work of Priority Africa Network but all the views expressed below are not necessarily shared by the organization or its affiliates.