Sub-Saharan African Migrants Face Old Enemy in Libya: Bigotry

"Smugglers charge people who have black skin more money for the trip. Traffickers justify the steep fees because they face more difficult taking black people through Libya, where discrimination is common." Imagine, brown people's deep-seeded hatred for black skin!. Hence, grouping Blacks under the "harmonious" banner of "people of color" makes the term seem like the perfect oxymoron. Anyhow, the root of this ongoing 'genocide' stems from the fact that these young people are leaving their native lands in search of a better life due to the lack of something as basic as a decent job in their given homeland. Most of these nations are rich in natural resources such as diamonds, oil, gold, etc. Unfortunately, most of their "leaders" - in power for decades, amass the wealth of their nation for the benefit of self, family, and tribal friends who live lavishly while the 80% plus of their citizens live in object poverty. Not much is done to improve the quality of life for people via development of agriculture, improvement in education, in infrastructure, and health-care; in fact, it is not surprising to hear allegations of African leaders traveling to Europe just for a blood-pressure check up. In addressing this ongoing nightmare, social media, notable Facebook, should take some blame for not pointing out the perils and death facing those attempting to leave their homelands. The poverty of apathy expressed by some commentators on this on-going tragedy takes ones breath away.

this are the so called good muslims

So it would seem that the "People of color" construct so beloved in the US doesn't apply in the real world. It would also appear that Arabs/North Africans, who are quick to complain of maltreatment by "whites" in Europe, are even quicker to dish out maltreatment to "blacks" when they think they can get away with it.

So it goes.
It would be useful to have more stories and exposes about anti-black racism in the "Third World".

"The report is one of the first attempts to use both anecdotes and quantitative research to document. . . ." Is there really any point to reading beyond that admission that this is a totally unscientific ploy to manipulate peoples' emotions?

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Historically, the racial and linguistic divide between North Africa (the Magreb) which is Arab and the lands below the desert which are home to the various peoples of sub-Saharan Africa who are black, has always been based on deep-seated racism towards the latter. A story in the New Yorker by Ben Taub, at once horrific and deeply moving, tells about the plight of migrant girls from Nigeria and their dangerous journey through Libya reveals the extent of anti-Black racism in North Africa.

'For Africans like Mr. Drammeh, few legal paths for migration exist, so tens of thousands use smugglers to help them cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.' It goes without saying that bigotry is wrong but it should also go without saying that it is wrong to enter another country illegally and expect to be hosted and taken care of at other people's expense, especially since the overwhelming majority of these migrants do not have legitimate asylum claims.

not a lot of comments but where are the supporters of immigration , illegal or legal, on this story? If this story was about someplace in the US, the Trump haters would be out in full force , railing against this inhumanity and suffering, and blaming the right. So Typical, i shouldn't be surprised.

why, thoughout history and literature, has black been bad and white good? E.g., angels are white, devils are black; heaven (Elysium)is up to the sky and hell (Hades) is down to the dark side. Virgins are pure white...brides are dressed in white. Dark alleys and dark clothes means crime and evil. On and on and on. why is this? not one of my lit professors in the ancient 1960's ever spoke of this. and black skin has always been the "wrong" color, throughout any culture's history (irrespective of colonial and /or imperial influences)! why?

Is it possible that all races and all nations are biased against anyone who, for one reason or another, doesn't look, think, or act as they do? I've posted this before and I'm going to say it again. Racism is part of humanity. I see it everywhere. I read every day where people of various races, religions, or ways of life are attacked verbally or physically, blatantly, covertly and any other means you can think of. There is a reason. We are not programmed to accept those who are not part of our subset. Try to push diversity and globalization on everyone, and they're going to push back. Try to take from those who earn a living and give to those who don't does nothing bring people together. It's human nature to compete. "I have mine, now I'm coming for yours, all of yours". Where is the solution to the struggle? Is it in segregation, integration, or evolution? Evolution would seem to be a reasonable answer, but we as humans are not known for being patient. And evolution takes time; lots of it. Is integration the answer? That is a flat out "NO". It hasn't worked to this point and I don't expect it to allow us to be more accepting of one another. I'm afraid segregation is the only option with the best chance for some semblance of success. It's that or war. If the current trend continues, there will be more uprisings by one group or another, (Pick one or all.). Eventually, we will be consumed by a crippling civil war. It's already begun. I'll be leaving. Bye

These economic refugees are better off staying in their home countries than enduring such terrible treatment, exploitation & abuse on the long route to the promised land of Europe. There should be awareness campaign in their home countries that they will face exploitation on transit to Europe if they attempt the journey. It would be in the best interest of the EU to launch such a campaign, and it would also be in the best interests of the migrants as well. It is a simple fact that the non-Western world cannot all migrate to the Western world. The EU does itself an injustice, and also the migrants by not making enough of an effort to discourage the illegal migration of people who do not have legitimate asylum claims. It is an abuse of the system and the generosity of the naive Western world.

Just because you were born does not mean that you get everything. Change things locally!

-They are not brought to Libya - they are going there voluntarily. -For an outsider, it is impossible to understand why they are willing to spend that money, to endure torture and risk their lives for the sole purpose of reaching Europe. - Those who travel are not desperate people. Since they have the financial means to do the journey and are healthy enough to cope with the ordeal, they are not to be seen as "refugees". They are opportunists. -Europe should prioritize taking those who are actually running from war and famine. The quota refugees. -For all those who are seeking a better life, emigration should be sorted by local offices in their home countries. The EU could easily set up offices where they could handle applications. Since these emigrants are willing and capable to spend €4000 or more for a perilous crossing of desert and sea, they would certainly be willing to spend that amount for a regular flight. - EU should give priority to emigrants with skills, or a documented capacity and willingness to become valuable visitors/citizens. -Just the possibility of emigrating legally in an orderly and safe way should mean that very few would be attracted to pay for the services of smugglers and traffickers. These simple and inexpensive measures would save many thousands of lives every year. It would mean the end of many of the criminal networks in north Africa and Europe, with connections to drugs, prostitution and illegal arms. The current state of affairs is intolerable.

It is not bigotry to refuse to have open borders.

So, what is the take-away from this story? Sub-Saharan migrants are entering Europe illegally & are alleging mistreatment at the hands of their Northern African or Arab enablers. So a problem which starts on their own continent is following them to a place where they really have no business being in the first place. What is Europe supposed to do? Sort out problems which are not of their making, in countries which are cash-strapped themselves & with high unemployment? I can imagine that poor & unskilled people are mistreated anywhere, but this sounds like a bid for sympathy for dubious asylum applications. Africa is a continent of abundant resources, as North America was when settlers, many of whom were as unlettered & unskilled as these people are, began moving there. They can build wealth & prosperity in their own countries. Africans want to charge the Europeans for their own profligate population growth & continued poor self governance.

This attitude in Lybia is no different anywhere else. In the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia and South America. This in unfortunate. We separate ourselves into groups of people that supposedly "look" like us, but as most of us know. we are the same, but our leaders use this as a tool to govern.

You know I never believed it to be true until today and I am 72 years old. Actually, race matters!

If Europe turned off the magnet none of this would be happening. Europe doesn't want to be seen as mean or heaven forbid racist. So as a result people will continue to suffer.

Ignorance knows no bounds nor country. Just the other evening I had a neighbor sneer at me that my country, Britain, would soon have an Indian as Prime Minister. He was referring to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was born in London and is of Pakistani descent. I pointed out his error and further responded that I hoped that would indeed prove to be the case and sooner rahter than later. I also mentioned that Ireland already had a Prime Minister of Indian descent while also adding that Leo Varadkhar was openly gay. What is it with racists in the United States? It can't just be that they grew up surrounded by racism. It has to have been taught by their parents and their parents before them. Not even a supposedly decent education--my neighbor has a doctorate--seems to make a difference in a lot of cases. One can look at countries like Libya and shake one's head in disgust. But racism even in the supposedly advanced world remains a thing of mental illness and evil.

Unfair treatment because they are darker? Say it isn't so. I will leave that alone. So Libya has not become the bastion of freedom since Qaddafi was toppled? Who is surprised by this? Democracy is not an automatic result of the abolition of autocratic rule, it is a fledgling fire in the face of a headwind that takes time to build and needs careful attention. As an immigrant of a less than desirable shade I hope these people are successful in their quest for a better life. No one works harder than a person who has had nothing.

Their treatment by fellow Africans is distressing and Europe should provide them aid in their home countries but we do not need them in Europe.They have no skills and our system is overburdened as is.The US is free to take them.