Former Ghanaian migrant, Mr. Kwadwo Kyeremeh has said he won’t advise anyone to travel to war-torn country-Libya due to personal experiences.
Narrating his ordeal on Suncity Radio, Mr. Kyeremeh stated that the journey is not worth it–if one has the money to embark on.
According to him, he was influenced by a friend to travel to the North-African country.
“I applied for teacher training college before leaving the shores of Ghana. Travelling to Libya is very tedious. Do not go even if you have the money. A friend influenced me to travel. Our hopes were high…and we thought the opportunities there were greater than that in Ghana. Another motivation was that you could use that route to enter Italy and other European countries.”
Mr. Kwadwo Kyeremeh also disclosed the risks they passed through before reaching their destination.
“It took us three days to reach Agadez. There are robbers on the way from Agadez so you have to be careful. Our journey from Agadez to Duroku lasted for a week. You have to wait for about two weeks if you miss the vehicle to Libya. Sometimes we do get lost. Also, the car can develop a fault…and you have to wait for three days,” he said.
“At Tamanrasset where the car cannot move up the mountain, we used about five hours to climb. Many people die on the way…and the weaker ones are sometimes beheaded. After reaching where water is available, they gave us a small quantity, “he further revealed.
He indicated that they depend on flour and also hunting for birds for survival before reaching their final destination.
Mr. Kyeremeh added that they do pass through so many inhumane treatments.
“Most authorities do not help people out when in trouble. A Libyan police officer will even rob you if he/she had the opportunity.”
Mr. Kwadwo Kyeremeh who is now the Administrator for Sunyani Technical University (STU) concluded with how he returned by to Ghana to better his education.
“I came back to Ghana following some fights in Libya. The Ghanaian government promised us a lot but they failed to deliver after they flown us to Ghana. I enrolled to Sunyani Polytechnic when I returned. I am now an administrator with my masters.”
“I won’t advice anyone to travel to Libya. Further your education or engage yourself in trading… and I think that will be beneficial,” he counseled.
The interview was on the heels of a CNN report from Libya that showed hundreds of African migrants being auctioned off as farm workers.
Following the development, One hundred and twenty-seven Ghanaian irregular migrants, including two children, who were detained in Libya on illegal migration charges, have returned home last week through the support from the government.
