The cash-strapped government of Ghana is battling with how to raise about $1million (?6 billion) for the evacuation of thousands of Ghanaian citizens in Libya, who are languishing in filthy refugee camps outside Tripoli, Chronicle can report.

Chronicle investigations indicate each flight to Libya and back would cost the government about Pounds95,000. About six flights are needed to evacuate the thousands of Ghanaians who are crying for their repatriation to Ghana.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Ambassador to Libya, Mr. B. A. Fuseni, has said that the mission needs about ?21 million a day to feed the several Ghanaians who had massed up at the Ghana embassy as at last week.

Chronicle has learnt that the government is trying other low-cost alternatives of evacuating the Ghanaians." If we see that we can't afford the cost of airlifting the Ghanaians from Tripoli we may consider hiring a ship," a ministry source said.

His Excellency B. A. Fuseini is pressing that the government should try and evacuate the Ghanaians within the next "three or four" days.

When the Chronicle contacted the Foreign Affairs Ministry, they confirmed that they were having some problems raising money for the exercise, and added that the Vice President had directed them, the security agencies, Immigration and NADMO to prepare for "possible evacuation of those badly affected, especially women, children and the injured"

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Saturday, September 28, 2000, the Ministry said "a multi sectoral team is being dispatched to Tripoli to carry out on-the-spot assessment of the situation" and that "the report of the assessment team will inform the actions government proposes to take".

The statement confirmed Chronicle's story, and added that about 1,500 Ghanaians have fled their homes, while those who initially sought refuge at the embassy have now been transferred to a refugee camp on the outskirts of Tripoli.

Chronicle has further learnt that the "multi sectoral team" which the Ministry claimed it was despatching to Tripoli has still not left due to financial difficulties .The Ghana Mission is also piling up pressure on the government to evacuate the Ghanaians immediately because of their deplorable condition.

Even though human rights groups who spoke to the Chronicle congratulated the Vice President on his concern and reaction, they complained about the snail-pace at which the government was going about the evacuation process.

"Much as I understand that the government is in an economic crisis, I think that this is a national crisis and must not be handled with kid's gloves," they said.

In a related issue, the Nigerian government has condemned the harassment and killings of Nigerians and other African immigrants by the Libyans, and said that even though some of them were illegal immigrants they contributed in their small way to the development of Libya.

Nigeria and other countries whose nationals were affected by the atrocities have commenced evacuation of their nationals from Libya.