From Liberia to Lebanon

This week, in the international press, there are very few stories that have not been placed secondary to the intense fighting, bombing and rocket attacks being exchanged between Lebanon and Israel. One reason for this is the global divide that has been highlighted in this conflict. And while wars, genocide, disease and famine continue to take a toll on humankind across the globe, there is the sense that a great risk to global security rises with the intensity of the fighting. Many wonder how long the allies of each nation and cause will stand back and watch.

If you have managed to absorb coverage on some of the other major stories taking place at this time, you may have read of the return home for thousands of Liberian refugees displaced in various nations. For most of the past twenty years, Liberia has been gripped in the turmoil of civil war. In the later end of 1996 the fighting came to a cease as Charles Taylor, the most powerful of the rebel leaders involved in the clash, secured his election into the seat of governemnt. His reign lasted until 2003, when fighting erupted once again. Earlier this year, peace was restored and the prospects for Liberia improved with the victory of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman elected into power in Africa.

In Ghana, where I am currently situated, a mass movement of Liberian refugees has began the trek home. Watching CNN from the dining room of a local hotel where I made friends with the kitchen staff, I had to hold in tears - which seem to be ready to fall so often these days - every time that an image and a voice of a plea to 'stop the war' was added into the news bites about the Lebanon/Israel conflict.

This is the context which made the story of a young man, about my age, who fled Liberia for safety in Lebanon long before the current conflict arose something I wanted to share. As Liberians scattered abroad head home to build their futures out of the possibilities that this moment in time offers, Saide Chaar is stuck surviving through another war.

The following is a journal account that was posted at www.irinnews.org. The photos were collected from MSNBC. The order is deliberate to show the fire of violence fueling the conflict, the smoke that remains from those flames which singe and cloud the lives of those caught in-between, and the light of the possibility for peace and restoration.


BEIRUT, 27 July (IRIN) - 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.