Two years after the release of Omar Khalifa Mohammed Abu Bakr and Salem Abdulsalam al-Gelidy from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the US does not seem to object Senegal’s decision to send them back to Libya despite the ongoing war there.
Abu Bakr’s lawyer, City University of New York Law professor Ramzi Kassem, criticized the US State Department for not interfering, saying it had guaranteed two years ago that Senegal would receive and ensure the detainees’ safety, and will also grant them permanent residency.
Kassem told the Intercept that the agreement expressly guaranteed that the Libyans would have the right to permanently settle in Senegal and rebuild their life there, rather than be returned to war-torn Libya. He added that with the deteriorating security situation in Libya, the US government didn’t keep its promise.
“The former detainee as well as his tribal background meant that being sent back to his country of origin would mean an almost certain death sentence,” asserted Kassem.
The lawyer indicated that both US and Senegalese governments signed diplomatic agreements about both men two years ago and announced that the men are not involved in terrorism. He added that they spent almost ten years in prison without due process by the US at the Bay. They were never charged with or convicted of any crimes.
The Intercept published official statements made previously by Senegalese Minister of Justice Sidiki Kaba, saying these are simply men who must be helped because “they are African sons who have been tested for years.”
Kaba indicated that “it is important, under the conditions of US law, that these detainees be able to have access to humanitarian asylum.”
He added that the two were not known to be militants.
Meanwhile, Miami Herald published an interview with Khalifa and described how he looked after 10 years of detention and war in Afghanistan.
“Khalifa has no right leg below the knee from a 1998 landmine accident in Afghanistan, and a left leg held together by metal pins from a 1995 construction site accident in Sudan, according to his attorney. Khalifa is blind in his left eye,” the newspaper detailed.
Intercept indicated that the US State Department appears to have abandoned its commitments to protecting the men. It detailed how Khalifa received a handwritten note in Arabic on Wednesday from Senegalese authorities, informing him that the two years of permitted residency in the country had expired.
The same year both men were transferred to Senegal, US officials announced that 15 inmates from Guantanamo were transferred to the United Arab Emirates, the single largest transfer of Guantanamo detainees during President Barack Obama’s administration. With that, only 61 detainees remained in the prison.
Obama had hoped to close the prison before the end of his presidency, however, he faced opposition from many Republican lawmakers as well as some fellow Democrats. Back then, Republican candidate Donald Trump said he opposes shutting down the prison.
At that time, Reuters reported that the transfer included 12 Yemeni and three Afghan citizens.
The Pentagon had also issued a statement thanking the UAE for the transfer.
"The United States is grateful to the government of the United Arab Emirates for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close Guantanamo,” it said.
