Story highlights Former Gitmo detainee is going back to Uruguay

Jihad Diyab went on hunger strike for 68 days in order to resettle in different country

(CNN) Former Guantanamo detainee Jihad Diyab is returning to Uruguay this weekend after being denied entry to South Africa, according to Christian Mirza, a former refugee mediator for the Uruguayan government.

Before leaving for South Africa on Friday, Diyab had gone on a 68-day hunger strike to demand relocation from Uruguay to an Arab country, closer to his wife and children.

"I didn't want to do this hunger strike, but they closed the doors and left me with no solution, and this was the only solution I found," Diyab had told CNN in September. "I need to live a normal life with my family, my children. This is what I need."

Diyab's family is currently in Turkey. He told CNN that the Uruguayan government had said his family would come to the country, but never followed through to make it happen. His family now refuses to come to Uruguay.

"I started [the hunger strike] after speaking to the government multiple times, without finding a solution," said Diyab, who is also known as Abu Wa'el Dhiab

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