Zecharias Zelalem

Israel's attacks on Lebanon have killed 2000 and displaced over a million now.

Here's another aspect of the story you're not likely to have heard of: Lebanon's African migrant community, which numbers around half a million, are among the displaced, the fleeing, the injured.

Unfortunately, and this is incredibly heartbreaking to say it, African migrants are being denied space at shelters that are being declared "Lebanese only."

Oct 4, 2024 at 11:27pmWeb
Show threadZecharias ZelalemOct 4, 2024

The migrants are mostly women who came starting in the 80ies to work as domestic workers. Their homes & places of employment are being destroyed in the bombings, leaving them with nowhere to live let alone work.

Lebanon has a shortage of shelters for the displaced. Schools, theatres, restaurants and private homes are being turned into shelters.

But migrants told me that among those rejecting them for being "ajnabi," (Arabic for foreigner, or alien), schools & churches. The racism is rampant.

Show threadZecharias ZelalemOct 4, 2024

In addition to putting up with the racism, migrants slam their embassies/governments for doing nothing to protect them, and UN agencies, who have thus far only mobilized to provide services for Lebanese citizens. Migrants have been largely ignored.

There's more. Thankfully, Al Jazeera have taken an interest in the suffering of this section of Lebanese society. I should have my story on this tomorrow.

"Lebanese only."

Show threadZecharias ZelalemOct 4, 2024
Background read: a longform I did years ago. Took 2 years (2019-2021) to produce & involved tracking 3 women who had been missing and feared dead in Lebanon for ~ a decade each. Over the course of those two years, using OSINT methods we learned all 3 were held captive & incommunicado, but alive. Tried negotiating releases, helped facilitate an escape. All three suffered terrible abuses but were reunited with family in Ethiopia at the end of a draining, exhausting journey.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/6/16/vanished-the-plight-of-3-ethiopian-domestic-workers-in-lebanon
‘She just vanished’: Ethiopian domestic workers abused in Lebanon

For decades Ethiopians have flocked to Lebanon in search of work. But many find a cycle of abuse that’s hard to escape.

Al Jazeera
Show threadJohannesOct 5, 2024
@ZekuZelalem
This was excellently written. The Kafala system trapping those maids in slavery is incredibly cruel - they went to Lebanon with hope and return maimed and broken. Those still in Lebanon are now trapped in a war, unseen and enslaved - and judging by the testimonials on This is Lebanon about maids in previous conflicts, their “employers” will ship them around like cattle. It’s fantastic that you investigate this - as TiL shows public attention is key to freeing the enslaved maids.
Show threadPeter van Heusden (he/him) 🗿Oct 5, 2024
@ZekuZelalem there's a story to be written about Lebanon & Sierra Leone. One of the people looking for help was from Sierra Leone & in SL & West Africa more generally Lebanese merchants have a long history. In fact the hotel I stayed in when I was in Freetown in 2017 had brochures advertising tourist activities in Lebanon in the lobby, nothing about local activities.
Show threadIanMoore3000Oct 5, 2024
@ZekuZelalem that's grim... I've heard a lot over the years about Lebanese exploitation of foreign domestic servants but this is really terrible
Show threadArnoOct 5, 2024
@ZekuZelalem very sad but not surprising at all. Suffering any kind of hardship doesn’t make you a morally better person. Nor does doing shitty things justify others doing shitty things to you. Unfortunately many people can morally justify this kind of behaviour to themselves.