The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is checking reports of the detention of a Polish woman from the Sumud Global Land Convoy, ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór told PAP on Monday. The woman was to be detained in Libya. Our consular service is in contact with the Libyan services, assured the spokesman of the Ministry of Diplomacy.
The spokesman for the Polish section of the Global Sumud Flotilla, Rafał Piotrowski, said on Monday that the Polish delegate to the Sumud Global Land Convoy, which, like the Flotilla, aims to protest against the blockade of Gaza and open the way for humanitarian aid, was detained on Sunday by the forces of the self-proclaimed leader of eastern Libya, General Khalifa Haftar. According to Piotrowski, there is currently no contact with the Polish woman and her condition is unknown.
According to Piotrowski, the convoy started from Algeria, and the group including the Polish woman joined it on May 7 in Libya. After completing appropriate training, Piotrowski reported, the convoy was supposed to set off a few days later and was stopped on May 17, about 6 km from the eastern border of Libya. — On Sunday around On the 16th, after being stopped by eastern Libya forces, we lost contact with the entire group. We remain in constant contact with Polish consular services, said Piotrowski.
As Piotrowski pointed out, the Sumud Global Land Convoy consists of over 200 participants from 25 countries. It is the land equivalent of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which in mid-May set off from Turkey towards the coast of the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli blockade of this Palestinian semi-enclave and create a humanitarian corridor leading to it. Israel claims that this initiative is supported by the terrorist Hamas.
According to Global Flotilla data, in recent days Israeli forces have intercepted all 50 units of the convoy, with 428 people on board, including Poles.
Internal division in Libya
In October 2011, Libyan rebels, with the support of NATO forces, killed the then dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Then there was an internal conflict in the country. Currently, Libya is divided into a western part, controlled by an internationally recognized government, and an eastern part, ruled by General Khalifa Haftar, who subordinates the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army.
Due to the highly unpredictable security situation and the possibility of its destabilization, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against all travel to Libya on its website. Indicates that Polish citizens staying in this country should leave it immediately.
