Lebanon Diary, Part III

Up to 50 Liberians are trapped in Beirut. Many sought refuge in Lebanon after fleeing civil war in their own country 12 years ago. Some are married to Lebanese. This ongoing narrative is based on a phone interview with 25-year-old Saide Chaar, a Liberian who is staying in a one-bedroom apartment with 22 other Liberians and Lebanese-Liberians in Beirut's southwestern suburb of Jnah. 27 July 2006 - When we got up this morning we tried to call the (Liberian) ambassador in Cyprus and he told us to get to the Canadian Embassy and he would try to get someone to help us. And we got there and unfortunately they told us that they are not ready to help any other nationals, only their citizens. (The ambassador) told us he would try again today and tomorrow to get the Greek Embassy to help us. Where we live presently the landlord is asking us out because we are too many in the house. He said because four families cannot live in one place and we are so many. Maybe he’s doing it because he wants to increase the rent because we are paying 200 dollars and most likely he wants 400 dollars. We don’t (even) have the 200 now because there is no work. We tried to ask him, “Please, please help us,” and he’s like, “No, sorry.” He said tomorrow we should leave. Now we are stranded and we have nowhere to go. Today we hardly see any plane in the area around here but they are still bombarding the south area. People are just on the street – crazy. They have nowhere to go. Most people are sleeping in the park in central Beirut with mosquitoes, no bathroom. Everyone is displaced. They have nowhere to go. Thousands. Thousands of people that fled from south Lebanon. It is very hot, very, very hot in here where we are. And without electricity we don’t have a fan. We are on the ground floor. We are just managing to put (water) in a small reservoir. It will last us from now until tomorrow morning. We can go out and get water from neighbours to flush the commode. We don’t have food. And even the baby (Levi) the food is all finished. We are trying to go and look for medicine for him. In the evening he gets sick and gets a hard fever. The medication of the old people is finished for them. Everybody right now is sad and some of them are crying - no job, no money, nowhere to turn. We have nobody to help us. In Liberia it was home. We knew our way around, we knew how to make it (during the war). We knew how to get food. We could grow food. There, the United Nations was helping. They were providing rations - food, whatever we need, like cornmeal and rice. There is no one to help us here. We are strangers. One thing I don’t understand. They have thousands of other nationalities in this country. They’re evacuating the people but I don’t know why a handful – we are only less than 50 Liberians in this country – I don’t know why they find it so difficult to help us. Anyone could have helped us. Even the United Nations – we came to seek refuge in this country. The Americans could have helped us. They should have helped us. When I went there I knew that, ok, when I get to the American Embassy they are the last chance and hope we have because the Americans have helped a lot of Liberians during the war in Liberia. A lot have been resettled in (America). They have took thousands out. Unfortunately, when we got there, there was no help from them. We were told they evacuated their citizens. Right now the time is about 7 o’clock in the evening and we have nowhere to go to ask for help. I just want to sleep and just pray and ask God to lead me because I don’t know any way out. I haven’t eaten anything. We are just waiting to see what the night will give us.