The convoy, which set off from Tunisia last Monday, includes more than 1,500 activists from Maghreb countries.
Organizers of a land convoy seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip have reportedly announced their decision to cancel the convoy’s journey after authorities in eastern Libya refused to allow them to cross into Egypt.
“It was decided to cancel the convoy’s journey after eastern Libyan forces insisted on preventing the convoy from crossing into Sirte,” Aljazeera Arabic on Monday cited the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine as saying.
The coordination committee stated that the decision was made after it was unable to obtain security clearance for the ‘Sumoud’ (‘Steadfastness’ in Arabic) convoy to cross Libyan territory into Egypt.
Call for Release of Activists
Convoy spokesman Wael Nawar, however, told Al Jazeera that the convoy would not return to Tunisia until the release of 15 Libyan, Tunisian, and Algerian activists detained by eastern Libyan forces.
“We will continue our sit-in in the Buirat al-Hassoun area, west of Sirte,” Nawar said.
The coordination decided to return to the last safe point 50 kilometers to demand the release of the detainees pic.twitter.com/mSPZTM0lG2
— SUMUD Convoy Tunisie (@ConvoySumud2025) June 15, 2025
Security forces affiliated with eastern Libyan authorities stopped the convoy on the outskirts of Sirte and prevented it from continuing, under the pretext of awaiting security approval.
Options to be Considered
In a statement on its Facebook page, the group said: “We have been informed by the Libyan authorities that the Egyptian authorities have rejected the licenses requests that we sent to the Egyptian Embassy in Tunisia through all possible legal and diplomatic channels.”
“We decided to return to Tunisia and look for other ways to lift the siege” in Gaza, the statement added.
‘Sumoud’ Aid Convoy Heads to Egypt Seeking to Break the Siege on Gaza
The group reiterated that the convoy “is peaceful and will remain peaceful and we will remain on the spot peacefully waiting” for the release of the detained participants.
On Saturday, the convoy said it was subjected to a systematic blockade by eastern Libyan authorities, who prevented it from advancing towards Sirte in the north of the country.
Food, Water Delivery Prevented
In a statement, the convoy reported that eastern Libyan authorities prevented the delivery of food, water, and medicine supplies to the approximately 1,500 convoy participants, and disrupted communications and internet networks, according to the Al Jazeera report.
The statement added that security forces pursued and arrested a number of convoy participants, alleging that videos were offensive to the eastern Libyan authorities, who have yet to comment.
The Sumoud [Steadfastness] aid convoy to break the siege of Gaza which was stopped by eastern Libyan authorities outside of Sirte, with multiple detentions & passport confiscations; photos by @MontassarSinkez who was also detained: pic.twitter.com/sQF8TX44gO
— Meshkal_TN (@MeshkalTn) June 15, 2025
The Sumoud convoy called on these authorities to cease what it described as “arbitrary practices that contradict considerations of Maghreb and Arab brotherhood,” the report noted.
The convoy, which set off from Tunisia last Monday, includes more than 1,500 activists from Maghreb countries as part of a popular solidarity movement to break Israel’s siege on Gaza.
According to organizers, the buses were scheduled to cross the Sinai Peninsula to reach the city of Arish, located approximately 350 kilometers east of Cairo. Participants were then scheduled to continue on foot for a distance of 50 kilometers to reach the Egyptian side of Rafah.
Separately, Egyptian authorities on Friday detained and deported dozens of activists who arrived in the country to participate in the Global March to Gaza, intended to break Israel’s blockade on the besieged enclave.
(PC, AJA)
Libya government is a running dog for the Nazi Zionist Regime! Talking orders from the Great Satan itself!