Global Sumud / Steadfastness Land Convoy: “We are in the middle of the desert but will not back down”

The “Global Sumud / Steadfastness Land Convoy” is attempting to break the blockade of Gaza, undertaking a truly commendable and significant effort. At present, this large group of 350 people from 25 countries is immobilized in the neutral zone between Eastern and Western Libya, about 60 kilometers outside Sirte in the desert, awaiting the green light to continue their journey to Rafah. “We’ve been stopped here for four days, essentially in the middle of nowhere, 9 kilometers from the Eastern Libya border,” Alkis Papastathopoulos, an active participant in the mission, told us during a difficult phone interview.

“We are currently at the negotiation stage, determining whether we will be allowed to pass or not. On Tuesday, we sent a committee with representatives from 13 different countries to negotiate with the authorities of Eastern Libya, while the army is deployed at the site. Members of the Red Crescent were also with us, but they told us that they do not allow people to pass,” he stressed.

“They propose, as they told us, to take the entirety of the aid we are bringing, which includes tons of supplies and 10 ambulances, without allowing a single person to pass—not even the specialists we have, such as doctors and nurses. As you can understand, we cannot leave such significant aid of this scale in their hands, and we are demanding that at least some specialists be allowed to pass and reach Rafah. They seem reluctant, but we gave them 24 more hours to reconsider.”

And if they refuse, we asked him?

“Look, the convoy is not willing to give up. Of course, we will not attempt to ‘break’ the line, as we are unarmed and face military forces. But from where we are, we will not move and will pressure by any means possible. I don’t know how they could pressure us, but the possibility that paramilitary groups in the area might act against us cannot be ruled out. They may try to intimidate us. However, we will do everything to secure a safe passage or whatever else is possible,” he answered courageously. “Admittedly, we have not yet been harassed, but we have seen that security personnel from the western side around us have increased in number over the past few days. From our side, we have complied with all requests, similar to our previous mission last year. For example, we have Red Crescent personnel with us. Now we will see if they force us to turn back in any way.”

When asked about the timeframe for this effort, he responded: “Our supplies are limited. We are in the middle of the desert, and as you can imagine, we must manage resources. Each person is allotted half a liter of water per day. We cook collectively and share the food we have, essentially one meal per day. It is not easy, but I cannot say that we are starving; the situation remains manageable. As I said before, we are trying to push as much as possible to ensure that we achieve what can be achieved and that the aid reaches the besieged people of Gaza.”

The mission departed on Friday from the city of Zawiya, west of Tripoli, gathering over 350 activists from 25 countries, including Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Indonesia, China, the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Sirte is located roughly in the middle of Libya’s coastline, along the only major coastal highway that connects and forms the boundary between the two warring factions in Libya. That is why any large convoy, military movement, or international mission is controlled there.