Equatorial Guinea a risky magnet for migrants

[seemslikeadream]

September 09 2004 at 01:11PM

By Estelle Shirbon

Malabo - Tony was cleaning glasses in his small bar in the capital of Equatorial Guinea when the police came. He was thrown in jail along with hundreds of other foreigners, and booted out of the country after two weeks.

Tony, from Ghana, was one of many immigrants in the tiny oil-rich west African state who faced serious trouble six months ago as authorities clamped down on foreigners after thwarting what they say was an attempted mercenary coup.

Yet as soon as he could, Tony came back.

'I couldn't just forget two years of my life'
"I couldn't just forget two years of my life. There is good business here even if life is hard," he said.

Days after the foiled coup, Ghana ordered the evacuation of its nationals from Equatorial Guinea after dozens were locked up, hundreds took refuge in the Ghanaian consulate and hundreds more went into hiding.

Cameroon recalled its ambassador to Equatorial Guinea a few days later, complaining hundreds of its citizens had also been unfairly harassed and expelled, as boatloads of bedraggled Cameroonians landed in their home country.
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