Libyan students’ protest over funds continues

The protest of Libyan students in front of their embassy in Ankara continued yesterday in an ongoing row over scholarship.

The protest began on Monday when around 150 Libyan students broke an embassy gate and entered the yard by force in an effort to meet their Ambassador Abdurrazaq Mukhtar. They left the embassy Tuesday only after they were given assurance by the embassy staff that their issue would be resolved soon. However, when their demands were not met, the students resumed their demonstration.

The Libyan students said the protest was over delay in scholarship funds from their country.

Sources at the embassy told The Anadolu Agency that the ambassador did not come to the embassy yesterday. However, a group of six students were allowed to meet other embassy officials.

Muhammed Bilal, a Libyan student in Ankara, said the students had not received their scholarship money for the last two months. Bilal accused the embassy officials of corruption.

"The ambassador is responsible for unpaid scholarships," he said, adding, "we will stay here until we get what belongs to us."

Mukhtar recently said that out of 1,475 Libyan students in Ankara, 500 had not yet received their allowances. He urged the students to be patient and cited political instability in Libya as the reason for delay.

Libya has been dogged by political instability since the 2011 overthrow and death of its longstanding ruler, Moammar Gadhafi.