As the situation in Libya among warring factions continued to degenerate this week the government is insisting that the needs of Maltese citizens in Libya are being seen to, reports from Maltese on the ground in Libya tell another story altogether.

In comments to the Maltese media this week, Foreign Minister George Vella said: “We are prepared for any situation and will take concrete steps if and when necessary. Prior to the outbreak, we had already created a crisis response centre. In fact, we have already managed to contact 264 persons through telephone calls, Skype and other internet means and they have all assured us that their lives are not in danger.

“The situation is, of course, bad but it is not as dramatic as it is being made out. Calls to the embassy are being directly diverted to the ministry.”

This account, however, has been hotly contested by Maltese living in Tripoli, who are very concerned that no steps are being taken to evacuate them.

“We are here and all we are getting from the foreign ministry is that there is no case for evacuation,” said a Maltese in Tripoli.

“The helpline numbers given to us were only on till six on Thursday evening. I called them at two in the morning to pass on information that was received on Facebook through a very respected and reliable source.

“I sent the page to the foreign minister as well as sending him an SMS. I also copied the Prime Minister. They never even bothered to call or contact me.

“The information was that as things are not getting any better, now was the time to get Maltese citizens out while they can and not wait any longer. Although the situation is calm where I live, things can escalate in a very short time. I have the experience as I was here when the war against Gaddafi erupted. 

“Within a few days all hell broke loose. Is this what the Minister and the Prime Minister are waiting for?”

Another resident said: “They were still fighting last night even though there was an agreement. When we contact the crisis centre all they tell us is that the government is not ready to start evacuation since no country has done it so why should Malta do it? We do not want to hear this; we want to hear that help is on its way. All they tell us is stay indoors.”

A person who has lived in Libya for a very long time said: “I have stayed indoors since last Sunday. There is no petrol in Tripoli. We have frequent power cuts, and if my gas cylinder finishes I cannot buy one as it is not available.

“The foreign ministry has issued a warning for Maltese not to travel to Libya. So if the minister thinks that there is a dangerous situation why does he not get us out of here?

“I am not one to panic. But it is outrageous that our government treats us like this.

“The embassy is closed and it is not true what they are saying – that the embassy is open. Let alone the Maltese ambassador who got stuck in Malta.

“We tried calling the embassy several times but nobody answered. If you go, nobody opens the door for you. The consulate is also closed.

“I never expected this government to treat us like this.”