Despair and disappointment has been characterizing the fates of illegal immigrants in Libya after the abuses they endured from armed groups and traffickers in centers that are not under the control of Libyan authorities.
An African migrant recently rescued from a crowded dinghy drifting in the Mediterranean said he would have rather died at sea than return to Libya, highlighting the desperation driving the current wave of immigration to Europe.
Ibrahim Assoumanou Abdel Azize, originally from Togo, his Nigerian partner Fethia Owolabi and their five-year old son Ibrahim were among 73 migrants plucked out of a rubber dinghy on Wednesday night by the crew of Spain-based rescue ship, Open Arms, Reuters reported.
“I wanted to come to Europe, it wasn’t easy while I was on the water, if I must die on the water, it is better than returning to Libya,” Abdel Azize said.
“You work for them, they don’t pay the money, that’s why we decided to leave Libya, we can’t live our life like that with my son, I just want to keep my kid safe, that’s why I left,” said the immigrant’s wife.
She said: “I didn’t know the big sea. I was crying, I told the people ‘let’s go back’ because I was scared. I didn’t know it would be like this, if I had known this I wouldn’t have come, I would have gone back to my country.”
