Migrants in Countries in Crisis: The Experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerien Migrants during the Libyan Crisis of 2011

Abstract

Using the experiences of Ghanaian and Nigerian migrants who were implicated
in the 2011 Libyan crisis as a case study, this paper highlights the importance of
examining micro-level factors in explaining migration decision-making
processes. It therefore challenges the uncritical use of macro-level factors as
exogenous ‘root causes’ of migration especially in developing country contexts.
Adopting mainly qualitative approaches among seventy-five key informants
from six distinct categories, the study finds that migration culture, household
livelihood aspirations, geographical propinquity, the existence of social networks
and migrant smuggling rings motivate migrations to Libya. The paper also
challenges scholarship on the 2011 Libyan crisis that treats the experiences of
sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants in the country as an undifferentiated group.
The paper concludes that within a developing country context, the political
economy of the origin country contributes to the establishment, over time, of a
migration culture especially among youth who feel trapped in ‘waithood’ and are
unable to realize basic socio-cultural and economic markers in life. The paper
recommends the regionalization of evacuation and repatriation programmes to
facilitate the timely extraction of trapped migrants from countries in crisis.