Sumud Fleet activists detail blocked Gaza aid convoys across Mediterranean and Africa

Turkish activists from the Sumud Fleet shared their experience of trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The volunteers joined a sea convoy that left Barcelona on 6 April and a land convoy that started in Mauritania, passing through Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

Sea convoy member Mustafa Arslan said the flotilla sailed for about nine days to Augusta Harbor before heading toward Crete. He recalled, "9 gün boyunca Augusta Limanı’na kadar bir deniz yolculuğumuz oldu. Sonrasında tekrar Girit’e doğru yola devam ettiğimiz 3‑4 gün içerisinde de uluslararası kara sularda… ‘Tutuklandık’ diyorduk."

Land convoy participant Sebahattin Ceyhun reported that the convoy was stopped at Libya’s eastern border and that trucks carrying relief supplies turned back at the border checkpoint. He quoted, "Yola çıktığımızda yardım malzemelerini taşıyan tırlar tam sınır kapısını gördüğümüz anda geri döndü. Tırlar kaçtı, biz ortada kaldık."

Both convoys faced accusations of terrorism from Tunisia, blockades by naval forces, and the detention of several volunteers, some of whom remain held more than three weeks after the attempt.