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| Migrants resting on the floor of a detention centre, amidst concerns over the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the city of Zawiya, Libya May 5, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer |
Libya's Tripoli
government says 26 Bangladeshi migrants killed in revenge attack.
Bangladesh
has demanded that the Libyan authorities quickly investigate the killings of 26 Bangladeshis,
alongside four Africans, and punish those involved in the brutal
incident which took place on Thursday.
Bangladesh also
demanded compensation for the families of those were killed and injured, said
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in a statement today.
The Bangladeshi
migrants killed in the incident were mostly from Madaripur, Bhairab of
Kishoreganj, Gopalganj and Magura districts.
They went to
Libya recently amid the global Covid-19 pandemic hoping to change their
fortunes by crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, ASM Ashraful Islam,
labour counsellor at Bangladesh Mission in Tripoli, told The Daily Star this
evening.
The official said
they learnt the identities of the dead after talking to the injured
Bangladeshis.
Meanwhile, Momen
said the Libyan interior ministry has already ordered investigation into the
matter and arrest of the killers.
Bangladesh's
foreign ministry said the Bangladesh Mission in Tripoli confirmed that there
were 38 Bangladeshis and some Africans held hostage by the Libyan militias, who
could be human traffickers, at a town called Mizda, about 180 kilometres south
of the capital Tripoli.
On Thursday, they
were being brought to the capital. On the way, the traffickers demanded large
amounts of money from the victims who had earlier paid up to $10,000 each.
A heated
negotiation then followed.
At one stage, an
altercation broke out and the gang leader of the traffickers died. In
retaliation, the other gang members opened fire on the Bangladeshis and
Africans, killing the 30. Also, 11 Bangladeshis were injured in the attack.
One Bangladeshi,
however, fled and took shelter at a residence of a Libyan national. He later
contacted the Bangladesh mission and informed in details about the incident.
The Bangladesh
embassy there then contacted hospital authorities in Mizda and arranged primary
treatment of the 11 survivors. Later, they were transferred to a hospital in
Tripoli.
Of the 11, six
are now doing well, three have undergone surgery and the two others will also
have to do so, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The dead bodies
have been kept at a hospital in Mizda town. Bangladesh Embassy in Tripoli is
working to get the identities of the Bangladeshis. Foreign Minister Momen said
it is suspected that the Bangladeshis and Africans were taken to Tripoli for
trafficking to Italy through the Mediterranean Sea. He said there were a number
of incidents earlier too when Bangladeshis, among other nationals, drowned in
the Mediterranean.
"We had
collected names of traffickers and police also arrested some then. We would
again get the names of these traffickers [involved in the shooting] and bring
them to book," the minister said. The Bangladesh government also contacted
the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for providing assistance in
whatever way it can in this regard, he added.
"We have
just learned of this tragedy and are following up to get more details and
provide assistance to survivors," said Safa Msehli, Libya spokeswoman for
the International Organisation for Migration. Libya has long been a destination
for migrants because of its oil-funded economy, but is also an important way-station
for people attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean. (Internet collection The Daily Star
May 29, 2020)
লিবীয় এক মানবপাচারকারীর স্বজনদের হাতে ২৬ বাংলাদেশিসহ ৩০ জন অভিবাসী খুন হয়েছেন বলে দেশটির সরকার জানিয়েছে।
আন্তর্জাতিক স্বীকৃতিপ্রাপ্ত লিবিয়ার সরকার (জিএনএ) বৃহস্পতিবার এই তথ্য জানিয়েছে। স্বরাষ্ট্রমন্ত্রী
এক বিবৃতিতে বলেছেন, মিজদা শহরে ২৬ বাংলাদেশি ও চার আফ্রিকান অভিবাসী নিহত
হয়েছেন এবং আহত ১১ জনকে জিনতানের একটি হাসপাতালে নেওয়া হয়েছে। মানবপাচারকারী খুন হওয়ার বদলায় তার পরিবারের সদস্যরা হতাহতের এই ঘটনা ঘটিয়েছে বলে বার্তা সংস্থা রয়টার্সের এক প্রতিবেদনে বলা হয়েছে। বেশ কয়েক বছর ধরে ভূমধ্যসাগর হয়ে ইউরোপে মানবপাচারের অন্যতম রুট হয়ে উঠেছে ইতালি। এই
ঘটনা নিয়ে লিবিয়ায় আন্তর্জাতিক অভিবাসন সংস্থার মুখপাত্র সাফা মেসহলি
বলেন, “আমরা মাত্রই এই মর্মান্তিক ঘটনা সম্পর্কে জেনেছি। ঘটনা সম্পর্কে
বিস্তারিত জানার এবং আহতদের সহায়তা দেওয়ার চেষ্টা করছি ।” (নিউজ ডেস্ক,
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন