SIRTE — The Global Sumud Land Convoy was dissolved in Libya on May 27, 2026, after ten activists were arrested and participants were forced to evacuate near Sirte. The convoy had been denied entry into eastern Libya following failed negotiations with local authorities.
The convoy departed from Zalitan on May 16, 2026, and halted outside Sirte the next day. It consisted of 30 vehicles, including 20 mobile homes and 7 ambulances, carrying humanitarian aid intended to challenge the Egyptian and Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
On May 19, 2026, the Global Sumud Flotilla attempted to negotiate with the Government of National Stability (GNS), proposing to transfer its aid to the Libyan Red Crescent and allow a limited number of activists to accompany the delivery. After receiving no response, a 10-person delegation proceeded to a Sirte checkpoint on May 26 to seek passage.
Ten activists were arrested that day. The Foreign Ministry of the Government of National Stability stated on May 27 that the arrests occurred because the group had traveled toward Gaza without completing required legal procedures or obtaining entry permits. The GNS added that the detainees were being cared for in accordance with humanitarian principles and reiterated that Libya-Egypt border crossings are restricted to citizens of those two countries.
On May 27, the Global Sumud Flotilla reported that approximately 200 participants camped several kilometers from the Sirte crossing were encircled by unmarked vehicles, allegedly physically assaulted, and forced to evacuate. The convoy was formally dissolved the same day.
In a May 30, 2026 statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said, "The land and sea missions are not parallel efforts that happened to coincide. They are a single strategy operating on multiple fronts simultaneously. We continue because we must." The group also stated, "We explore every pathway available to confront the siege and genocide, because inaction is complicity and complicity has a cost, and that cost is too high. The flotilla continues. Land actions continue. Legal actions continue. Solidarity continues. Until the siege is broken and every person is free." The flotilla called for the release of the detained activists and requested diplomatic intervention from Spain, Poland, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia, and the U.S.