Lebanon Diary, part IV

Saide Chaar and 22 other Liberians and Lebanese-Liberians had been seeking shelter in a one-bedroom apartment in southwestern Beirut for 15 days until they were evicted on Friday. The landlord said there were too many people in the apartment. Chaar, 25, is among about 50 Liberians who are trapped in Beirut. Many sought refuge in Lebanon after fleeing civil war in their own country 12 years ago. They have watched thousands of other foreigners being evacuated but find they have fallen through the cracks, as Liberia has no embassy in Lebanon to evacuate them. IRIN spoke to Chaar by phone, and using his own words compiled Part 4 of an ongoing narrative. 28 July 2006 – We have left west Beirut. The landlord asked us to leave, he said we were too many so we had to leave the place. I just took a pair of trousers and a t-shirt in my bag and I have what I’m wearing. The other family [members] took one bag each, almost nothing in them. Just wash and wear, that’s all. So this morning we went looking for food and looking for shelter - a house to be in. We’ve got some food, thank God. I went around trying to meet one or two friends. They assisted us with some rice and vegetables. Almost everything I have, I left in that flat - furniture, computer, refrigerator, my clothing, most of my documents, everything that I had, everything, everything. All we had after fleeing the war in Liberia was in Lebanon. Everything that we suffered for and worked for has been damaged. At first when we fled [Liberia] we went to Ghana. We were there waiting for resettlement. Thousands of people left the camp and went to America. We were there waiting and waiting. We had an opportunity to go to Lebanon - from a Lebanese individual who he told me he wanted to sell machines. We came on our own here – we were about nine people. In Beirut I was buying things, like brick-making machines, generators. I sent them to Liberia. Where I left [west Beirut] is not where I was living. It was another rental apartment. We just came to rent it 15 days ago when they started bombing the international airport. I was trying to contact someone from the south but there was no way we can contact anyone from there. It was on national radio that a Liberian died in southern Lebanon from the bombing. The house he was in was hit by the air strike. I don’t know if I know him. I went to the embassies again [today]. I went to the British Embassy and the American Embassy. No help. No way to enter. People are telling us they cannot help us. The same old story. I spoke to the consul general of Liberia in Cyprus and he is still trying to help us. He is doing his best. He told us, “I know, Saide, I am trying my best. I am trying to contact the Greek Embassy. I sent an email to the embassy but I have not heard from them.” He is trying to contact them by phone. He is planning to go on national television in Cyprus to help the Liberians. We are just keeping our fingers crossed. [An older woman in the group] two months ago she had open-heart surgery so she was on medication and she just finished it two days ago and she doesn’t have any more supplies. We hope she will continue being stable until we can lay our hands on some medication to give her. [One-year-old Levi] he’s ok, thank God, he’s here. He still feels a little sick – fever in the evening but he’s coming ok, he’s trying. We are now in the eastern part of Beirut where the Christians are. We don’t hear any bombings. There is no shooting around. We are just praying and asking God that nothing much will happen on this side. We hope we will leave the country before anything like that happens. We are here for the time being. We are waiting for someone for the moment to come and show us an apartment but he has not come and we are still waiting for him to come. He promised us a one bedroom place. Right now we are outside sitting on the road in east Beirut. Everybody is on the road here. The planes are passing, which is very, very scary. It’s dark. sc/cs/ss