At least 50 Egyptian nationals in Libya were released on Saturday night. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had coordinated with relevant security agencies to work to release the Egyptians and their trucks after they had been detained in Libya.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the foreign ministry reiterated its warning to Egyptian citizens to refrain from travel to Libya “except in cases of extreme necessity” and to do so through air travel after obtaining a valid visa issued by the Libyan embassy in Cairo.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeats its warning to Egyptian citizens living in Libyan territory to exercise the utmost care and caution for their lives and safety in light of the security situation,” said the statement.
The Egyptians were detained by armed Libyans on Friday on a road between Tobruk and Ajdabiya.
Last October dozens of Egyptian truck drivers were abducted along the same stretch of road. The release of the drivers was secured through cooperation between the Egyptian and Libyan sides, according to the foreign ministry.
Egypt has issues and reiterated a travel warning for citizens travelling to Libya. Egyptians are advised not to travel to Libya unless it is absolutely necessary and to travel by airplane not road, only “after obtaining a valid visa issued by the Libyan embassy in Cairo.” The statement also warned Egyptians inside Libya to exercise caution “in light of the critical and uncertain security and political situation in Libya”.
Egyptians in Libya have faced many issues in recent months, including the killing of 7 Egyptian Coptic Christians and the detention of 60 immigrants. Another Egyptian citizen was shot dead at the end of March in the city of Benghazi.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nabil Fahmy received assurances in March, from then Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan for the safety of Egyptian expatriates in Libya.
