Egyptian authorities resumed efforts to resolve the crisis of 400 Egyptian drivers who had been kidnapped in Libya after a group of armed militias and Libyan revolutionary brigades blocked the international road at Ajdabiya. The militias abducted 400 drivers and seized around 300 Egyptian and Libyan trucks to pressure the Libyan government into fulfilling their demands.
Official Libyan sources said that armed militias stopped the vehicles on the side of the roads and took the drivers' passports, especially those belonging to the Egyptians. Military intelligence in Marsa Matrouh are currently going through great lengths to resolve the issue.
A senior security source from military intelligence revealed that negotiations are ongoing with Libyan border security and that there are moves to coordinate with Ajdabiya leaders the release of the detained drivers without conditions. The detainees will be released soon, the source added.
Tarban Saeed abu Zereiba, a leading tribesman of Ajdabiya, said the "council of the wise" formed two committees to negotiate with Libyan revolutionaries to convince them to step back.
Another tribesman attributed the problem to Ajdabiya revolutionaries who are in control of oil establishments. The Libyan government has sought to remove the revolutionaries from the establishments and resume exporting oil but was rejected by the revolutionaries who forcefully refused to open the establishments. They rejected threats by the government and then resorted to blocking the international road.
In Gharbiya, Gamal Oun, a senior driver in Kafr al-Zayat, said Libyan military personnel and civil servants detained around 300 drivers with their vehicles in protest against the late disbursement of salaries.
Ramy Atteya, the drivers' defense lawyer, said he filed a report at Kafr al-Zayat police station and added that the drivers informed their relatives that they are being mistreated in Libya.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
