LIBYAN-IRISH:FOUR MONTHS ago, Ibrahim Ahmed was watching the fighting in Libya from his Dublin home. A few weeks later he joined the rebel troops near the town of Zintan.
“I went with aid, but when I was there I couldn’t stop myself and I went with the freedom troops. Then I found myself with an AK-47 going around searching for people . . . going from house to house searching. You go from computer engineer to fighter,” Mr Ahmed said yesterday.
Mr Ahmed, who has lived in Ireland for 13 years, travelled twice to Libya, staying for three weeks each time as he was unable to leave his job for longer.
Along with others in the Irish-Libyan community, he collected aid for Libyan Social Solidarity and Irish-Libyan Emergency Aid (ILEA). Now they are celebrating a day they thought would never come. “We are delighted,” he said. “It’s been a tough six months.”
His sentiments were echoed by other Libyans living in Ireland.
Dr Fatima Hamroush was at a fundraising dinner on Sunday for Libyan emergency aid.
“While we were eating, the news broke . . . I’m glad we weren’t alone, you need to be with people for this,” she said.
Dr Hamroush has lived in Ireland for 16 years and writes for opposition websites. She is a co-director of ILEA. The news still hadn’t sunk in, she said, adding: “people are still being shot. There are still attacks on civilians”.
Her son, Abdullah El-Nehum, travelled to Libya in March and again at the end of July with medical equipment donated to the aid group by Irish hospitals.
“I’m still absorbing the news,” the Griffith College student said yesterday.
“I came home on Tuesday from Benghazi. We had a hunch something might happen . . . but none of us expected it to be as quick as it was.” He said it had been bleak to see bodies arriving at hospitals in Benghazi.
Dr Faheem Bukhatwa, who has lived in Ireland for 38 years, drove to Italy a few weeks ago with aid on the ILEA convoy.
“I’m absolutely delighted, we have been waiting for so long. We have been suffering . . . denied the wealth of our country,” he said.
He hoped Gadafy would be put on trial. He said people in Tripoli were taking the brunt of the fighting, but in Benghazi his family had lived in fear for six months.
Former resident of Tripoli Ramadan Abughalia has lived in Dublin for 14 years.
“My brother is living there now, they are all very happy and hope everything will be okay,” he said. “I hope we can be as other countries now, we can be free. We all hope the transition to democracy can be soon.”
Khalid Shushan celebrated with his Irish wife Linda and their children. “I’m so happy after 42 years. I know the damage that Gadafy did. I can’t remember anything good he did for the country.”
Mr Shushan, who has lived in Ireland for 27 years, said no one from his family in Tripoli had been injured. “Every Libyan will work hard now to make up for the bad years. . . . I will go over to celebrate, I will be going soon.”
Everyone interviewed said they would like to thank the Irish people for their support.