Hunt for Blacks in Tripoli
Photo: Reuters
There’s a heart-wrenching article posted today on the portal of Radio Okapi entitled “DRC: Some repatriated Congolese from Libya live in destitution in Kinshasa.”
An advice before going to read that article on Radio Okapi website: have within reach a huge box of Kleenex tissues—to contain or wipe the torrent of tears that would gush from your eyes and, incidentally, to blow your nose.
These poor guys were repatriated from Tripoli where they were stuck at the beginning of the Libyan revolution by two flights chartered by Kabila or the government—depending on one’s viewpoint. My own opinion is that without Kabila, these guys would be dead today in the ethnic cleansing systematically targeting black Africans that is being carried out by Libyan revolutionaries. I also remember that some denizens from the right bank of the Congo River—Brazzaville, that is—took advantage of the flights chartered by Kabila-qua-DRC government.
As early as the “fourth day” after their return from Libya, after being sheltered at some of the decent and expensive hotels in Kinshasa--the kind of hotels Kinois residents themselves can't afford--these displaced people were already demanding that the government “continue taking charge of them.” In fact, the government did book flights for most of them who wanted to rejoin their families in the interior.
Then, fast forward to today…
Incredible! According to Radio Okapi, the situation of "nine families of returnees from Libya" in Kinshasa is so dire that ASADHO, our rampart of human rights, denounces this criminal negligence and “demands that the government take urgent measures for their social and economic reinsertion.” A man-made humanitarian catastrophe, and the usual universal indifference of government officials. Just think: these "nine families" live rent-free in government buildings that have no beds and no toilets. And the start of the school year has come and gone, their kids are not going to school! What kind of government is this? Jesus-Mary-Joseph!
The representative of these devastated citizens sobbed:
“The authorities had promised us our reinstallation, our reinsertion and [they also assured us that], to the extent that this was possible, they'd see to it to send us to [and be hired by] companies here and there, because many among us are technicians. None of the promises was kept.”These wails shook me, and caused me to write the following heartfelt comment on that teary article of Radio Okapi. But as my comment is still “awaiting moderation” as I'm writing this, after several hours of being posted under the article of Radio Okapi, I've come to realize it would never be posted. That’s what motivated me to post here my comment Radio Okapi pitilessly censored.
My comment to Radio Okapi (adapted translation):
“Radio Okapi and ASADHO, please do tell me you’re joking! Don’t you think that these poor souls should instead thank Kabila on both their knees for having had the divine vision of getting them out of the Libyan hornets’ nest? Don’t you know that Sub-Saharan Blacks who weren’t evacuated from Libya by their governments are now being hunted down and massacred like rats by Libyan revolutionaries? I don’t see what the responsibility of the Congolese government could possibly be in the daily life of these denizens. Was it the government that asked these people to uproot themselves from their country to go seek out good fortune in Gaddafi’s paradise? There are many Congolese expats who send their share of their hard-won monies to their families and friends in Congo; and when they go back, they find shelter and food on the table… How many millions of indigents are there in the Congo? And you really think that before the government takes care of these millions of Congolese indigents, it must first concerns itself with these citizens repatriated at taxpayers’ expenses? And with what budget, I ask you… Hell, no ! ASADHO, for Crissake, seek out other legitimate causes, please ! Bad governance, assassinations of journalists and human rights activists, ill-treatment of kids and women, mass rapes in eastern DRC, good causes are aplenty!... Liboma too nini [is this madness or what]?”
Madness, indeed, this acute congolaiserie of ASADHO… Well, no wonder Radio Okapi permanently moderated my rant!
***
A version of this post in French is posted here.
