Britons flee disorder as Libya’s hatred burns
RELIEVED Britons fleeing fighting in Libya landed in Athens yesterday after a mercy voyage on a Greek warship across the Mediterranean.
The shattered group were met on the quayside by British embassy staff after grabbing what they could carry when warned to get out of the war-ravaged country as quickly as possible.
The 10 Britons were among a group that included 77 people from Greece, 78 from China, seven from Belgium and one each from Russia and Albania.
The humiliating exodus is a crushing end to the Anglo-French action three years ago, heavily backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, which attempted to bring stability to Libya following the overthrow of dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Passengers on the frigate Salamis described a deteriorating security situation in the Libyan capital Tripoli, with frequent power and water cuts.
A Greek-Libyan accountant, Mustafa Avocat, said: “We were hearing explosions all the time but the fighting was on the outskirts of Tripoli. Things are getting worse.Power is cut five to seven hours every day. There are water cuts too and the shops are closed. It’s not somewhere you can raise a family.”
Chinese officials said most of their nationals worked for Chinese construction and communications companies. Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiao Li said: “We really appreciate what Greece did to help us.”
Constantine Koutras, a spokesman for the Greek foreign ministry, said moving staff to the port was the most difficult part of the operation.
He told state TV: “I was on the phone to our charge d’affaires at the embassy to get an update and I could hear the sound of gunfire in the background.
“So in places like this and in these kind of situations there is a very small difference between things going well and going very, very badly.”
Earlier last week seven Britons fleeing from Tripoli in a dinghy were rescued by a French frigate.
There is a very small difference between things going well and going very, very badly
It was announced yesterday that the British embassy in the capital would temporarily close from tomorrow. British ambassador Michael Aron described the situation as “very sad” and said staff would return “as soon as security allows”. The decision to go was taken “reluctantly”.
The country has been gripped by instability and a power struggle among rival groups ever since Colonel Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011.
More than 200 people have been killed in Tripoli and Benghazi in the past two weeks.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the two cities on Friday to denounce militias who have been fighting Libyan armed forces.
The Foreign Office said a limited number of commercial flights were still leaving Libya but warned flight schedules could change without notice.
On Wednesday, British Airways suspended flights to and from Tripoli up to and including Tuesday because of the security situation at Libya’s main international airport.
The area has seen fighting throughout the past three weeks as rival militias battle for control.
One of the British embassy’s compounds is in this area.
Its staff are heading into Tunisia where there were chaotic scenes at the border with thousands fleeing.