Thousands of Africans attempt to leave Lebanon

The US, UK, Australia, France and Canada have all issued official advice for their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible, but many Africans have no way out. Kenyan national Eulita Jerop who has been in Lebanon for 14 months says the terms of her employment as a domestic worker make it difficult for her to leave, despite fears of an all-out war in the country. BBC News reports that Israel and Lebanon-based group Hezbollah have traded near-daily fire across the border since the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. It prompted the invasion of Gaza, which Israel says has the aim of eliminating Hamas. Jerop said it was common for employers to take their passports on arrival in Lebanon. Even with a passport, domestic workers still need an exit visa to leave. This is allowed to happen under the country’s ‘kafala’ (sponsorship) system for foreign workers – which employs an estimated 250 000 people. Roseline Njogu, who runs diaspora affairs for the Kenyan Government, said the department could issue emergency travel documents for those without their passports. ‘We have around 26 000 Kenyans in Lebanon, and 1 500 have registered with us for evacuation,’ she said. Ethiopian Government spokesperson Nebiyu Tedla said they are ‘preparing contingency plans to evacuate diplomats and citizens from Lebanon if necessary’.