This article is from page 10 of the 2011-09-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A LIBYAN man who has lived in Ennis for almost 12 years has recalled how he made a dramatic escape from the fallen regime of Muammar Gadaffi.
Salaheddin Attia Elkurdi, a former aircraft engineer with the Libyan air force, recently returned to Ennis af ter spending a couple of weeks in his home town of Benghazi, providing logistical support for the rebel army there.
Despite the volatility and danger that still exists in parts of Libya, Salaheddin says, “I returned to my country to see what happened and to see my family. I found everything okay. People need to help the country.”
A former student at Clare VEC adult education centre, Salaheddin moved to Ennis after escaping the Gadaffi regime in the late 1990s.
After studying in the Soviet Union, Salaheddin became an officer in the Libyan air force. In 1981 he and members of the armed forces were accused of plotting a coup. He spent eight years in a Libyan prison before being among a group of hundred or so prisoners released in 1988 following pressure from the United Nations. He lived in Libya but remained under the watch of the regime. After being interrogated by Gadaffi forces in 1997, Salaheddin feared for his life. He fled to Turkey and eventfully made it to Ireland in 1999. He admits that he is lucky to be alive.
He was one of the first refugee students to study at the adult education centre in 2001. Salaheddin, who has since gained Irish citizenship, studied electronics with FÁS and was offered a place at Limerick Institute of Technology.
A married father of two, both of Salaheddin’s children attend primary school in Ennis. He says, “Ireland is my country. The hospitality from people in Ennis is very good.”
Salaheddin hopes to return to live with his family in Libya.
He adds, “The people are okay. The people are excited. When it started, the people fight for freedom and they die for freedom. They don’t think about themselves. They fight and many of our friends die. Our family also have some people that died, but it’s nothing for the freedom of Libya. I think if a million people die in this war, it’s nothing for Libya.”