Libya: Christiane Amanpour Reflects on Gadhafi Interview, Libya Uprising
After interview with Gadhafi, Amanpour discusses the state of Libya.
TRIPOLI, Libya, March 2, 2011— -- When we arrived at the Tripoli airport this morning, my colleagues and I were horrified at the sea of human misery that greeted us.
For at least a week, thousands of foreign contract workers have been stranded here, trying desperately to get out of Libya.
The airport grounds outside the terminal have become a filthy, impromptu refugee camp. Those that are lucky have some blankets and are huddling together in the bitter night cold.
There are no facilities, no bathrooms, and for more than a week now, these people have had no airline tickets and no idea how they're going to get out. Egypt and other nations seem to be sending in some flights to get them, but nowhere near enough to manage all of them.
We practically tripped over people sleeping in the dark, and the piles of trash are everywhere. Shoes, clothes and garbage are strewn everywhere.
Inside, it's not much better, if a little warmer. Hundreds of people, including women and children, are huddled next to whatever they have.
The smell is rancid, and airport workers are wearing surgical masks. But it seems no one is bothering to clean up. Mysteriously, every single clock in the airport is stopped at half past twelve.
The situation here is dire. But at the Libyan border with Tunisia, it has reached a crisis point. Hundreds of thousands have tried to cross, at a rate of 2,000 per hour. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees is there, trying to coordinate assistance. And it is publicly calling for help before this turns into a full-blown catastrophe.
The people crossing are mostly Egyptians, in a state of panic, suffering from dehydration and, above all, a fear of the unknown and a lack of information.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has just announced that the U.K. will help organize an airlift of Egyptians back to their country, having already announced that it was sending food and blankets.
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