Migrants take deadly gamble in Libya

AGADEZ: A steady stream of Africans seeking a better life in Europe is weaving by truck and pack animal through Niger's mountain passes toward Libya hoping the chaos there will ease their flight to the boats awaiting them on the Mediterranean.

These desperate migrants have heard the stories of Africans tortured and executed in Libya on suspicion of fighting as mercenaries alongside Muammar Qadhafi's forces.

But for them, the risks from gunmen are an acceptable alternative to being turned back by a border patrol.

"They say blacks are being killed as suspected Gaddafi fighters, but I say we all have a destiny," said Sule, a 25-year-old Nigerian migrant who did not want to give his last name.

"I see this war as an opportunity that I cannot let pass if I want to make it to Europe."

Lured by the seductive mirage of a better life in the West, tens of thousands of Africans trek every year across deserts or risk perilous sea crossings in try to slip illegally into Europe via Spain or Italy.

But for Sule and his companions and the dozens of others arriving in northern Niger each day that gamble means passing through what may be the most dangerous place in the world right now for an African.

Refugee camps within Libya and sprouting along its land borders contain thousands of fleeing Africans telling tales of horror at the hands of rebel fighters suspicious they are pro-Qadhafi mercenaries.

Identity cards of nationals from Chad, Niger, Mali, Sudan and other African states have been found on the bodies of gunmen who anti-Qadhafi fighters say were paid to confront them.

"We are risking our lives but we have been assured by our guide that we'll be alright between here and the Libyan border. The rest is our affair," Sule said.

"If things become dangerous, we can always head to a refugee camp," said Obasi, one of Sule's companions.

Copyright Reuters, 2011