Egypt’s Communications and Information Technology Ministry, with the help of the Foreign Ministry, have allocated the number 15114 to facilitate communications with Egyptians working in Libya, according to a press statement.
The ministry said this phone number will receive complaints, respond to queries from relatives in Egypt and, most importantly, assist in Egyptians' safe return to the homeland.
To date, there are no accurate estimates on the numbers of Egyptians who are currently in Libya, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Badr Abdel Atty said there are approximately 500,000 people there. Manpower and Immigration Minister Nahed Ashry, however, announced that the number of Egyptians working in Libya is beween 800,000 and 900,000 people.
Despite the fact that the 48-hour grace period set by the Tripoli dominant forces Fajr Libya (Libyan Dawn) has ended, privately-owned channel Al-Youm spoke to security expert Sameh Seif Yazal who said that more than 1.2 million Egyptian citizens live in Libya and many of them do not wish to return to Egypt.
The Fajr Libya forces had previously advised Egyptians to leave within 48 hours "for their own safety".
According to MENA, Matrouh Security Chief Anany Hamouda has stated that 2,967 Egyptian returned from Libya via the Salloum border crossing over the last 24 hours.
