Somalia refugees stranded in Libyan desert

• published: 30 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST Giryat, around 400 kilometres north of Sabha, Libya 1. Wide of Libyan Sahara Desert in the rebel controlled town of Giryat on the way south to Sabha 2. Wide of dozens of Somali refugees gathered in town of Giryat 3. Mid of dozens of Somalis 4. Mid of Somali refugees sitting before they prepare to march through the desert towards Tripoli 5. Low angle shot of Somalis sitting with shoe in the foreground 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdullah Gabu, 23, Somali Refugee from Ethiopia who walked across the Sahara: "When we came to Sabha, I find we had been getting the problem of the crisis. That''s why we have been running on that side, on this side we have been running. And when we came from, we have been taken to this police station and we have been calling the humanitarian people. Now we are waiting, we have been waiting 6 days in here." 7. Close up of foot of Somali in sandals 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohammad Santur, Somali Refugee: "When we came across the Sahara, people are always asking us money, maybe 800 US dollars when we paid we came to Sabha. In Sabha we stayed for one month and we couldn''t get a good life because Sabha has been fighting for the new government and the old government here." 9. Mid of Somalis sitting 10. Low angle shot of Somalis sitting under shade of water tank 11. Mid of Somalis gathering to as they prepare to walk to Tripoli 12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muftah Abdullah, Head of the Local Military Council of Giryat: "We are scared for them because it is very hot and they could run into armed groups who don''t know who they are we tried to convince them to stay here and that we could take care of them but they insisted on going." 13. Mid of Somalis walking towards desert 14. Mid of Somalis walking towards desert with ancient ruins in background 15. Mid of Somalis walking in line towards desert 16. Wide of Somalis walking into the desert 17. Wide of Somalis walking into the desert STORYLINE As fighting rages in the southern Gahdafi stronghold of Sabha, a group of 200 Somalia refugees left their camp in Ethiopia in hopes of finding a better life in Libya. Braving the extreme temperatures of the Sahara and losing 103 of their original 200, the Somalis found themselves trapped in the middle of the Libyan revolution. The group arrived in the southern city of Sabha, still controlled by Gadhafi''s supporters. "In Sabha we stayed for one month and we couldn''t get a good life because Sabha has been fighting for the new government and the old government here," says Mohammad Santur, a Somali refugee from Ethiopia who walked across the Sahara. A group of former rebels controlling the desert village of Giryat, mid-way between Tripoli and Sabha, found the refugees and pleaded them not to leave in fear of their safety. "When we came from, we have been taken to this police station and we have been calling the humanitarian people. Now we are waiting, we have been waiting 6 days in here," says Abdullah Gabu, 23, another Somali refugee. After walking for hundreds of miles and waiting for nearly 6 days the group decided to try their luck by walking the 400 kilometres (248 miles) to Tripoli, ignoring warnings from locals. "We are scared for them because it is very hot and they could run into armed groups who don''t know who they are we tried to convince them to stay here and that we could take care of them but they insisted on going," says Muftah Abdullah, Head of the Local Military Council of Giryat. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1330ef5efa38d7c3f80d2b0c195dcdd9 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork