The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has urged citizens not to enter Libya without proper documentation after 61 Egyptians have been detained, awaiting deportation.
A statement released on the official MFA Facebook page on Wednesday said: “Despite repeated warnings… some Egyptians still persist in entering Libyan territory without a visa and even some without passports.”
A statement released by the MFA on Tuesday, warned Egyptians not to enter Libya illegally overland to work, due to the risk of road accidents, “which has resulted in the deaths of a number of Egyptians recently.”
The ministry advised Egyptians wishing to go to Libya to travel by plane, “to avoid road hazards and after obtaining a visa and meeting all the required procedures.”
Tuesday’s statement also reported, “Libyan authorities do not allow Egyptian workers… who carry the hepatitis C virus to obtain residence for work.”
In Wednesday’s statement, the MFA reported that the embassy in Tripoli has sent delegates to check on the condition of Egyptians being held in Libyan prisons, where 26 are being held for not having a visa and another 35 who do not have passports.
At the end of July, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Amr along with his Libyan and Tunisian counterparts announced the Cairo Declaration in which it was agreed to hold talks on allowing free movement between the three countries.
Dr Ibrahim Awad, the director of the Centre for Migration and Refugee studies commented on the situation. He said: “A declaration does not necessarily mean that it will be implemented.” Referring to the current situation, he said, “obviously nothing has changed.”
Awad added: “A free movement agreement has to be part of a larger integration such as liberalisation of trade and labour.”
