CAIRO: Security authorities at the Egypt-Libya Sallum border crossing have arrested 114 people, including four Sudanese over “illegal travel” to Libya, source told Youm7 Saturday.
Some 201 trucks, carrying Egyptian goods have entered into Libya during the past few hours, said the source.
This sort of arrests is frequent at Egypt’s borders, and is part of a campaign by security authorities to combat “illegal immigration.”
Despite security deterioration in Libya, dozens of Egyptian and African migrants are being stopped at the crossing while trying to illegally travel to Libya in search for a better life either in the oil-rich country or through traveling to European countries with Mediterranean coastline.
Officials have announced that the number of migrants who were arrested represent half of those who have already managed to illegally cross to Libya.
On the other hand, official figures indicate that some 54,810 Egyptian nationals have arrived at the border fleeing the war-torn Libya since the beheading of 20 Egyptian Copts in mid-February by Libya’s Islamic State (IS) group.
At least one million Egyptians have fled Libya in the wake of 2011 turmoil; the country was one of the biggest destinations for Egyptian laborers.
Additional reporting by Hassan Mashaly