Between fear and anger, the Lebanese of West Africa are experiencing war by proxy

The Israeli strikes in Lebanon have caused shock waves within the Lebanese diaspora in West Africa, which numbers several hundred thousand members.

In Dakar, Abidjan and Lagos, three of them tell AFP how they experience the war by proxy. Between sadness, fear and anger, they highlight the spirit of solidarity that reigns within the community.

Here are their testimonies:

Zoheir Zeidan, Dakar

This 61-year-old Shiite telecoms business leader expected from October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack, that Lebanon would be the target of Israeli strikes. “We knew that Israel’s next stop would be Lebanon”, from where the pro-Iranian Lebanese movement Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, operates, he confides.

“On the first day of Israel’s attack (on Lebanon on September 23, 2024), we had a close childhood friend, with whom I grew up here, who received a bomb on his house. received photos from a (another) friend. Then we looked. It was him, his mother, his brother. They were dead.

“My friend told me, ‘Expect there to be more.’ And ever since that day, we’ve been on the alert.”

“I have my aunts and my cousins ​​who are in the south of Lebanon, in Tyre, who left, who took the road immediately when there were problems. But as we see that Israel is starting to expand its influence on the entire area of ​​Beirut, at any time it could happen” to be affected.

“Material support is provided through supply chains, distribution and money transfer via several associations based in Dakar, Abidjan, Nigeria and Lebanon.”

“My cousin in Beirut sent me a message saying ‘we have an association ready, get everyone involved, see what you can do: diapers, towels, products for women and children , all these things are good to take + “.

“I feel sadness and anger. Sadness because we find ourselves faced with a situation where we can lose a country overnight and find ourselves the new Palestinians of the land. And anger because of the helplessness that Today we have to see what is happening and the indifference of the West to this situation which revolts us.”

Zara Mirza-Branger, Abidjan

“My parents lived here in Ivory Coast, it’s been 6 years since they returned to Lebanon because of my mother’s health. There were lots of bombings around them, they were in Tire (south) ” and “took refuge in a house in Beirut” about two weeks ago, declares this 31-year-old saleswoman born in Lebanon to a Shiite mother and Sunni father.

“We’re always watching the news, we don’t even have the energy to work anymore. Every time we hear that they’ve bombed we call my parents. We try to send them money , to help as much as we can.”

“If all this stops, they return to the south and they don’t find a home, then we really won’t know what to do. We will have to bring them back here, or to my family in Gabon, in France or anywhere there they are trying to leave Lebanon but it is a risk for my mother.

“We have associations here who are trying to collect aid, whether it is clothing, money, food, above all they have asked for milk for the babies, medicines which they do not have, diapers , so a bit of everything. The situation is really catastrophic, what we want is for all this to stop.”

In Abidjan, among Lebanese, “all the discussions are about the Lebanese war. Even where I work, in the clothing store, when we call the customers, everyone is sad.”

“If it rains in Lebanon, Ivory Coast is wet.”

George Chaanine, Lagos

“We are very worried because the war extends almost to the whole of Lebanon,” explains this 31-year-old businessman from the Maronite Christian community, who has lived most of his life in Nigeria.

“We create WhatsApp groups where we all donate.”

“This also has consequences on business. Because of the war, things become more difficult, shipping lines take longer to reach Lebanon. And that increases prices.”

“When you’re trying to get your family out of the country, it also becomes complicated because the demand (for airlines) has increased exponentially.”

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