Ghanaian migrant shot dead in Libya – Report

A Ghanaian migrant worker trapped in the crisis in Libya is reported to have been shot dead by forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi.

The International Business Times citing Aljazeera quoted a Nigerian migrant worker saying the unnamed Ghanaian was shot in his presence.

The Nigerian man who was also not identified in the report was said to have told Aljazeera that he has lived and worked in Libya for eight years as a technician. He said, together with some men from Ghana, Mali and Niger they were abducted at a military checkpoint in Tripoli and then moved to a military centre.

“There was up to 100 people in the courtyard and military trucks were arriving and leaving with more people,” he was quoted as saying.

“They started beating people, I saw them shoot one Ghanaian in front of me. The atmosphere was very intimidating. They put us into a vehicle and we were driven into the desert. I saw an oil refinery, there was evidence of bomb strikes, burnt out vehicles and a strong smell. I think it was Ras Lanouf.”

The report added that similarly, a Ghanaian migrant said he was abducted from his home in Sirte.

“They asked us why we were trying to leave the country and that we must stay to fight for when the Americans come,” he said. “We were taken to a police station and then to an underground hospital which they ordered us to clean,” he was quoted as telling Aljazeera.

According to the report stranded foreign migrants in Libya are being forced to fight for Gaddafi, adding that while some have managed to flee the fighting, some of them have been subject to reprisals by rebel forces who accuse them of being mercenaries for the Libyan leader.

There is no independent confirmation of this particular incident.

Since the conflict in Libya began about 16,822 Ghanaians have been evacuated from that country – in excess of the anticipated 10,000, government officials in Accra have said.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi