Ahmed Alsalibi obtained a scholarship from the ULB to come and work in Belgium. This Gazaoui researcher also has a valid visa and was supposed to arrive in October 2024 in Belgium. Ahmed Alsalibi, 39, is also dean of the Faculty of Technonology of Israa University of Gaza, specializing in applied sciences. It is part of a scholarship program piloted by the ULB, which helps researchers in danger.
Refused by Belgian Foreign Affairs
Stuck in the enclave, this doctoral student has been excluded from the list of people who come to the aid by foreign affairs services, despite obtaining a scholarship at the ULB and a good work visa. The authorities explain that he does not meet the criteria: he is not of Belgian nationality, his nearby family does not reside in Belgium and he does not have the status of refugees.
The ULB but also all the universities of Wallonia and Brussels and all Flemish universities call for more flexibility in the application of criteria for researchers and scientists in danger.
The case of Ahmed Alsalibi is not isolated. He embodies the silent drama experienced by researchers closely linked to our institutions and yet left for a loss.
Thus the rectrice of the ULB, Annemie Schauss sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, requesting an urgent revision of the eligibility criteria To benefit from an evacuation without delay of the Gaza Strip. “We are frightened by this humanly and morally unacceptable situationdeplores the rector. The case of Ahmed Alsalibi is not isolated. He embodies the silent drama experienced by researchers closely linked to our institutions and yet left for a loss. The university cannot afford to act alone. We call on the authorities to take full measure of this humanitarian emergency. “
ULB vice-rector for external affairs and cooperation, Anne Weyembergh Recall: “The eligibility criteria were set in October 2023 by the previous government. However, as we all know, the situation in Gaza has dramatically deteriorated. It is a question of famine. The genocide is clearly denounced, including by important Israeli personalities and by Israeli NGOs. It is therefore high time that this list of beneficiaries can be extended”.
Ahmed Alsalibi still lives in Gaza with his wife Rana (35) and their son. His university was destroyed by a bombing. He has already been forced to flee six times. They are among the hundreds of thousands of people, without access to basic necessities, stuck in this devastated territory.
