(AFP File Photo)
Border guards prevented 142 migrants from illegally crossing the Egyptian border into Libya on Saturday.
The guards arrested the migrants, who included people from 11 different governorates in Egypt, and two Sudanese citizens. They were caught attempting to enter Libya through desert routes near the north-western border town of Salloum.
They will face military prosecution on charges of being in areas prohibited to civilians, according to state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.
Despite the tense situation in Libya, attempts to illegally immigrate continue to take place.
A similar incident took place on 8 November, when 132 were arrested trying to cross the Egyptian-Libyan border.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released several travel warnings regarding Libya in recent months. It has also asked Egyptians living in Libya to exercise utmost caution and to stay away from areas of tension and clashes.
Earlier this month, 145 migrants who attempted to leave Egypt aboard a boat were arrested and detained in the Anfushi centre in Abu Qir, on the outskirts of Alexandria.
Also, 19 Sudanese nationals were detained by Kafr El-Sheikh border guards last October while allegedly attempting to board a ship to immigrate to Italy.
The Mediterranean Sea remains the world’s deadliest route for migrants, according to the numbers of the International Organization for Migration.
Over 3,000 deaths have occurred in the Mediterranean between January and September 2014. The organisation said this is over ten times as many deaths as those that occur on migrant routes in Eastern Africa or the US border with Mexico.
Amnesty International has urged the Egyptian authorities to uphold their obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Problems in Africa, and the Egyptian constitution.
The organisation called on the Egyptian authorities “to release all of the individuals held for immigration control purposes and allow them access to the UNHCR”.
