East west home is best
Migrants in Italy are humiliated and mistreated, an eyewitness says
Mohammed Bader, a young man from the eastern city of Ajdabiya, is one of the Libyans who have been deeply saddened by the ongoing political crisis in the country. Dreaming of a better life in Europe, he decided to leave the country for Europe, but travel restrictions imposed on Libyans by EU countries were a dilemma for him.
With no solution on the horizon, he decided to follow in the footsteps of African migrants who flood Italy every day.
Three month ago, he travelled to Sabratha in the west of Libya, a city that has become a major launch station to Europe. Mohammed was so happy to find a human smuggler who requested LYD 1500 dinars for his journey to Italy. At dawn, Mohammed and many other African migrants launched their journey with the hope to reach Italy safely.
In the middle of their risky journey, an Italian navy vessel intercepted them. They were taken to a reception center in Sicily, Italy's largest island. Mohammed thought life inside the center is much better than in Libya, but he was shocked by the cruel reality.
"They put us on a very bad reception center. It was unfit for human beings, the food they gave us was only fit for animals, they mistreated us," he disclosed to Ajwa Net.
"The center was overcrowded with African migrants," he added.
Several days later, the Italian authorities moved him to another reception center in Catania.
"I thought the new center would be better, but in fact it was worse," he said.
He revealed that many of the African migrants are still in the centers for more than 12 months, but the Italian government has not taken any step toward them despite the support it receives from the EU and UNHCR.
"If you complain about the harsh treatment, your life would be in danger, we started to feel uncertain," he claimed.
At last, Mohammed has become desperate and decided to go back home. He went to the Libyan embassy in Rome, which facilitated his return to Libya on August 31.
