‘I thought I wouldn’t see my family again’ - Work trip turns into ordeal

Maltese businessmen found themselves caught up in intense crossfire in Libya over the past week, surrounded by young men indiscriminately firing artillery from their trucks, leading them to fear for their lives.

Ray Muscat, who runs a machine importing business, was among 38 Maltese businesspeople whose routine business trip to Libya turned into a terrifying ordeal.

Muscat and others recounted their harrowing experience to Times of Malta after being evacuated from the conflict-stricken country. They described in chilling detail what they saw, heard, and even smelled as fresh clashes between rival militias erupted in Tripoli, leaving them trapped amid deafening gunfire and the threat of being caught in the crossfire.

The group was evacuated on Thursday through a delicate operation led by the Maltese authorities, Maltese ambassador to Libya Charles Saliba and Malta’s special envoy to Libya, Colonel Alex Dalli.

Violence flared in the Libyan capital late between loyalist forces and powerful armed groups that the government is trying to dismantle. 

‘I went to the dinner anyway’

Muscat had returned to Libya after a long absence, seeking new business opportunities. He landed on Monday afternoon, just hours before “all hell broke loose”.

Saliba and Dalli sensed that tensions might escalate that night and warned the Maltese in Libya to be “cautious and very focused”.

On Tuesday, they advised the Maltese – some of whom were part of a delegation attending a business fair – to be back in their hotels by 10pm for their own safety.

But Muscat confessed he had a planned business dinner that night which he did not want to miss, so he decided to take a risk. He regretted the decision. After leaving the dinner around 11pm he found himself in a warzone, plunged into a terrifying urban battle.

It felt like I might not make it alive out of there. I was so scared I began to pray- Ray Muscat

“I was surrounded by big trucks and SUVs, all mounted with machine guns and artillery, driven by young men who were just firing randomly. I could have easily been hit,” Muscat recalled, the chilling reality sinking in.

“I feared I wouldn’t see my family again. It felt like I might not make it alive out of there. I was so scared I began to pray. In that moment you start to imagine everything. If something happened to me, I knew it would have been my fault, because I went out when we were warned to stay in.”

Together with a friend, Muscat managed to find shelter in a grocery store. The store owner welcomed them, but they knew they were not safe yet.

“We figured our best bet was to take a 10-minute car ride to the hotel. It was another big risk, but we decided to take the plunge.”

They arrived at the hotel and locked themselves up in their room where it was relatively safer, but they could still hear explosions and machine gun fire.

The Maltese people say they were trapped right in the middle of the conflict.

Trapped inside their hotels

John Schembri, an experienced businessman and former AFM officer, was also in Tripoli for the business fair.

He said he arrived in Tripoli on Sunday, and though initially there were signs of tension, it felt quite normal. However, by Monday evening, the situation rapidly deteriorated following reports of a militia head being killed.

“By night, the gunfire became much harsher,” Schembri recounted. Tuesday evening was even more intense: “The gunshots turned very, very heavy.”

Schembri described the feeling of being trapped in their hotels.

“The battle was going on around us. We were trapped inside the hotel and if we went out, we could have easily been in the line of fire.”

He vividly recalled the sounds and smells of the conflict: “You see them, you hear their shots and their screams, you smell the gunfire.”

The fear for their lives was palpable. “It got very scary – we were starting to feel we might not make it out of there alive. If the hotel were to be targeted, that would have been the end of us.”

Libyan militias amid clashes in the streets of Tripoli.

14 hours in the basement

Jose Da Silva, who works for a chemical company, was inside his hotel throughout the battle, but shots were being fired from one side of the hotel to the other.

“We were seeing and hearing the fire, the constant bombing. I was in a state of shock,” he said.

“I’ve been to Tripoli many times, and I would always see the militias patrolling the streets, but I had never seen them in active battle.”

At one point, the hotel reception instructed all guests to go to the basement, where they stayed for some 14 hours, as the fighting raged on.

Steve Garrett, a businessman with 20 years of experience visiting Libya, including during the Gaddafi revolution, also found himself unable to leave after a client dinner on Monday.

“It was very unorganised, young men. You hear more than you see. You hear gun shots from afar, different types of armour, and we could see bullets,” Garrett recalled.

The businessmen praised the swift and coordinated efforts of ambassador Saliba and especially Colonel Dalli, whom Schembri lauded as “a man who knows the situation inside out, has a golden heart in these situations and was fundamental in our evacuation”.

A WhatsApp group was set up to locate and coordinate with all Maltese nationals in Tripoli.

The turning point came when a temporary pause in the fighting created a “safe corridor – an opportunity in time and space – and you must take it”. On Wednesday night, a truce held, signalling their chance to leave.

“With one WhatsApp message we gathered everyone, and we began this mini operation to take everyone to the airport on Thursday morning,” Schembri explained.

Two coaches with escorts transported the group to Misurata airport, where they finally boarded a flight to safety.

I’ve been to Tripoli many times, and I would always see the militias patrolling the streets, but I had never seen them in active battle- Steve Garrett

In total, 38 Maltese people landed safely in Malta on Thursday after being evacuated from Libya, after Tripoli saw the worst fighting in the capital for years, according to news reports.

Maltese ambassador to Libya Charles Saliba told Times of Malta that most Maltese citizens caught in the crossfire were attending the ‘Libya Build’ trade fair, making it easier to identify them, but their dispersal across various hotels in militia-controlled areas complicated evacuation efforts.

The most dangerous moments occurred when fighting erupted close to the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli.

“Our fear was also for the Maltese workers employed at that same hotel,” he said.

“This time, the fighting has nothing to do with previous clashes because it is now more concentrated in the centre of Tripoli, and therefore the general population is being affected more directly.”

The evacuation itself was a daunting task, he added. It required navigating areas controlled by different militias, but the embassy’s extensive contacts proved invaluable.

The operation successfully gathered all Maltese nationals in one location before embarking on the pre-planned, emergency-ready route to Misrata.

Malta was the first country to initiate an evacuation, Saliba said.