Libya: More Gambians Escape Libyan Unrest
By Shout-Africa.com Gambia Correspondent – Another batch of Gambians on Friday breathes relief upon arrival at the Banjul International Airport after escaping the deadly unrest raging on in Ghadafi’s Libya, The Daily News gathers.
Mass departures of foreign nationals followed the eruption of popular anti-government-protest-turned-civil war in the oil-rich North African country as thousands of Libyans took to the streets demanding their despotic leader, Ghadafi to leave office as Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.
The Gambia government is said to have allocated about twenty million dalasi to the foreign affairs ministry to facilitate the evacuation of Gambians. And about four hundred people have safely arrived home, according to official sources. The latest batch of arrivals was over 200 people, preceded by arrival of 164 people on Thursday, some of which were injured after attack by the protesters. The first batch was 12 people, who came via Morocco to The Gambia.
Meanwhile, over six hundred Gambians are yearning to return home, The Gambian foreign minister, Momodou Tangara had said, assuring that his government will do everything possible to get all Gambians home safely. He however decried that some Gambians are reluctant to return home.
The Daily News could not confirm the number of Gambians in Libya, which serves as a gateway to Europe for thousands of greener pasture seekers. And those who face prolonged transit usually stay to engage mostly in menial work for both survival and to garner enough funds to proceed with the journey.
