Last weekends 4 shipwrecks in the Med hit me really hard, I knew one of the over 100 refugees who died. I know his mother though a common friend, for the past four years she has been calling me from Eritrea to ask what kind help there was for her youngest son who was in Libya.
She always asked me to call him and check on him and just to comfort him, the first time I called him he was being held hostage by Kidane and Co group who were being protected by General Abu Amuy and was extorted to pay two ransoms. After Abu Amuy fled all refugees who were held
Hostages in Sebha managed to escape and he called me asking for help, there were hundreds of them on the streets running not knowing where to go and being haunted by militia men. Some hid in a mosque & others kidnapped backs by militaas asking for ransom of 6000 USD each.
He was hiding inside the mosque with around 500 others and kept calling me asking for help, at that moment the best option for them to find someone who could escorts them to legality detention. After harassing IOM and UNHCR here on Twitter finally IOM stepped in and escorted them
While he was in detention I was calling himla from time to time he letter contracted TB and almost died in detention as there was no medical help for the detainees, later MSF stepped in and he received the medical treatment he needed. After all this hiking and many others
Were told they are being released from detention which means you are on your own and that your asylum claim was rejected by the country, which means UNHCR didn't recommend for him and the others to receive asylum even though all of them would qualify asylum in the west.
His struggle continued being on his own shearing a room with fellow refugees since last years, about 3 weeks ago he called me and said be there for my mother. I didn't understand what he meant and I just told him to stay strong. It's like he knew he was about to die
After four years of hell in Libya 25 years old Jemal is gone for good and his poor mother is totally unresponsive, I have called many times and I was told she is too weak to speak.
How many more have to die for EU to care about black lives?
Rest in peace Jemal and all the other beautiful souls lost in last weekend, may their families finding strength in this difficult times.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.