192 Egyptians fleeing Libya return home

Ahram Online , Saturday 21 Feb 2015

Egypt has drawn up evacuation plans for its citizens in Libya since a video surfaced last week of Islamic State group militants beheading 20 Coptic Egyptians

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An Egyptian man Fleeing from Libya through the Salloum land port gate at the Egyptian-Libyan border, at the beginning of the Libyan unrest in 2011 (Photo: AP)

Some 192 Egyptians fleeing war-torn Libya landed early Saturday at Cairo International Airport, with more Egyptians expected to arrive within the next few days.

The Egyptians had to travel to the Libyan-Tunisian border before being transported to Tunisia’s Djerba Airport to fly back home.

Egypt has drawn up evacuation plans for its citizens in Libya since a video surfaced online last week of Islamic State (IS) group militants beheading 20 Coptic Egyptians, allegedly on Tripoli beach.

Following the release of the video, Egypt launched Monday airstrikes on IS militant hideouts in Libya’s Derna, in cooperation with Libya’s government.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Minister of Manpower Nahed Al-Ashry stressed in a statement late Thursday that the Egyptian government will provide job opportunities for expats coming back from Libya.

According to El-Ashry, no official number exists of Egyptian workers in Libya because large numbers travel illegally to the oil-rich North African country. However, she estimated the number stands between 800,000 and 900,000.

Since the 2011 toppling of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, rival militias have been fighting a weak central government across the country.

Instability in Libya earlier prompted many Egyptian workers to return to Egypt, though many others remained.

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