Libyan authorities find 3 bodies of Egyptians in desert

CAIRO – 30 July 2018: The Libyan customs office in Tripoli announced on Monday finding three corps belonging to Egyptian citizens who had entered the country illegally recently. The bodies were announced to be almost decomposed due to the intense heat of the desert.

According to the official statement, the authorities identified the three corps on July 20 shortly after finding them. An investigation was launched by Libyan authorities revealed the identities of the three Egyptians and that they were in the middle of a conflict zone which led to their death 100 kilometers south of Libya.

The identities of the three Egyptians revealed that the Egyptian victims were Abdullah Ahmed Ibrahim from Minya governorate, Sayed Abulhamied Mohamed from Faiyum governorate and Hamdy Ramadan Faiyum governorate.

In statements to Egypt Today, a Libyan official (who refused to mention his name), affirmed that the three Egyptians entered the country illegally through one of the highly popular human trafficking groups active inside the region where they were found. “We issued several warnings not to follow these gangs. The Libyan authorities also occasionally launch intensive patrols in that area to control illegal immigration between Egypt and Libya,” the official said.

On July 17, 70 Egyptian illegal immigrants were arrested in Libya. Head of the media office in Ajdabiya security directorate, Mustafa Boufjra, told Egypt Today that all the defendants have forged documents to enter the country.

The Libyan public prosecution announced launching an investigation into the incident, according to Boufjra.

In December 2017, the Libyan authorities announced to media outlets that the country hosts nearly 700,000 illegal immigrants from different nationalities planning to travel to Europe. The officials affirmed that they are doing all the needed efforts to cooperate with all governments to control illegal immigration.

Egypt’s government has been cooperating during the past period with several countries, especially Italy and Libya, to reduce illegal immigration.

Illegal immigration topped Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's discussions during their meeting that took place early in July in Germany.

In statements to ON Live, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said that both ministers had long talks on strategies to combat illegal immigration. “Both ministers agreed they need to reach new mechanisms to eliminate illegal immigration by uprooting its economic and social causes and by dealing with the crises from a comprehensive perspective,” Abu Zeid stated.

Abu Zeid affirmed in his statements that Seehofer expressed his admiration of the efforts exerted by the Egyptian government to control illegal immigration.

A huge number of Egyptians escaped harsh living conditions and sought to improve their living standards by illegally migrating from Egypt, often travelling first to Libya and then to Europe across the Mediterranean.

Human-trafficking gangs operate in Libya and charge migrants large sums of money to make the perilous journey.