Egypt negotiates with Libya the evacuation of citizens

Egypt is engaged in intense communication with officials in Tunisia in order to evacuate citizens stuck at the border area between Libya and Tunisia

All Egyptians currently trapped in the border area between Libya and Tunisia will be returned home, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said after ending his trip to Tunisia.

Shoukry returned from a trip to Tunisia on Tuesday and said that according to estimates from Monday, some 4,000 Egyptians were still at the border area, state-run Al-Ahram reported. He added that the number of Egyptians there has not significantly increased in the past few days because they have realised how difficult it is to reach the border area.

The recent surge of violence in the restive neighbour has rendered the roads leading to the border area with Tunisia unsafe, prompting the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge Egyptians to avoid going to the Tunisian border and to avoid being in places close to military action.

Egypt has pulled out its diplomatic representation from Libya and communicates with Libyan tribal leaders in the western region regarding providing support to Egyptians in the border area.

Egypt’s neighbour Libya hosts an Egyptian community of 1.6 million, according Libyan Ambassador to Egypt Mohammed Fayez Jibril.