A group of Libyan nationals frustrated with the Egyptian visa process attacked the interior of the Egyptian consulate in Tripoli on Thursday.
The Libyans were angry about the time it was taking to receive visas to enter Egypt and were demanding that the staff work past their stated hours of operation, according to the MENA state news agency.
An employee of the embassy told MENA, “A number of Libyan nationals destroyed the furniture of the main waiting room and attacked the staff in protest against not being able to get entry visas to Egyptian territory.” The Egyptian consulate is reiterating an earlier call for security at its Tripoli location.
The fracas in Tripoli comes after foreign ministers of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia already agreed to make it easier to travel between the countries through the creation of a free-travel zone. The Cairo Declaration was signed on 29 July with the aim of increasing economic, judicial, and political collaboration between the three Arab neighbours.
The declaration noted that the group would likely include more members in the future. The three current members were the first in the region to witness uprisings in early 2011 that successful ended their respective dictatorial regimes.
