May 9, 2005

For many years, Libya was seen as one of the most liberal countries in terms of giving work permits and entry visas to Palestinians. By the early 1990s an estimated 30,000 Palestinians were residing in Libya.

However, a decade ago, this secure situation changed. In 1995, Libyan leader Colonel Qaddafi announced the expulsion of Palestinians from the country. Libya claimed that this was a direct response to two events: UN sanctions and the PLO’s decision to participate in the Oslo process. In 1992, the UN declared sanctions against Libya in the aftermath of the bombing of an American Pan Am jet above Lockerbie, Scotland, with disastrous effects on the Libyan economy. Jobs were scarce and Libyan workers were a priority. Qaddafi also said that his action was aiding the “return” of Palestinians. Furthermore, Qaddafi opposed any compromise that Palestinian leaders might make with Israel and the international community.

Thousands of Palestinians were forced to leave, refugees as well as economic migrants seeking work. In the last week of August 1995, crowds of Palestinians arrived at the Saloum border crossing between Libya and Egypt. Within weeks, up to 600 people without valid residency documents to return to Egypt, Jordan, or the West Bank were stranded at the desert crossing point and forced to live in a makeshift camp.

Surrounded by a barbed wire fence and the dangers of land mines left over from previous conflicts, people were trapped in limbo. Exposed to the harsh weather of the desert and 140 kilometers away from the nearest hospital, those forced into the camp had no access to clean drinking water or sanitation facilities. Two months later in October 1995, an international mission to the camp by the UNHCR, Medicins Sans Frontieres, UNWRA and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the camp was inhumane and unsuitable for even a short stay.

At the end of October 1995, Libya announced a temporary suspension of the policy of forced departure, but approximately 200 refugees remained stranded in the camp. It was not until January 1997, 16 months later, that residents were finally permitted to leave the camp and return to Libya.