25 Mar 2011

Libya: Fleeing families on the road to Benghazi

Lindsey Hilsum finds that Coalition bombing has allowed people to escape Ajdabiyah and meets one family who has spent several weeks in search of a safe haven.

We found families fleeing from Ajdabiyah along the desert road towards Benghazi. They said that coalition bombing had opened up corridors which meant that they could now escape – they could leave Ajdabiyah.

We stopped to chat to a man with a pickup – his wife and daughters were huddled in the back, wrapped in black robes and headscarves for modesty and against the sandy desert wind.

They said water and electricity had been cut in Ajdabiyah and they had spent 25 days going from house to house looking for somewhere safe to stay. Only now did they feel they could venture out and get to the safety of Benghazi.

One man told us that the coalition bombing last night had forced Gaddafi’s soldiers into the city, where they knocked on people’s doors looking for cars to loot and food. Some took off their uniforms, others tried to persuade local men to fight alongside them. He said there were snipers in the town, and it still wasn’t safe. The rebels seemed to be assembling for an assault on Ajdabiyah, and we could hear fighting up the road.

Everyone we met said they welcomed the coalition bombing, which had stopped Gaddafi’s planes from attacking.
“I used to dread the sound of planes overhead, but now I love it,” said one man.