Several families headed Monday morning to the Foreign Ministry to meet with Minister Sameh Shokry to discuss the latest developments concerning their relatives who had been kidnapped in Libya by militant groups over the past weeks.
A source at the diocese at the city of Samalout in Minya, one of the cities to which the missing expatriates belong, said the ministry had asked for a meeting with the families to brief them on the latest developments.
The meeting will be attended by a number of Coptic activists as well as a representative from the Libyan embassy.
Islamist militants have kidnapped 20 Egyptians, all from the Upper Egyptian province of Minya, who had reportedly been on their way back home for New Years celebrations.
Killings, hostage-taking and kidnappings of Egyptians in Libya have been frequent since the ouster of late leader Muammar Qadhafi in 2011.
The families had decided to call off a protest outside the ministry and wait to see the results of diplomatic efforts, noting that they are boycotting Coptic Christmas celebrations on 7 January until their missing sons are released.
Some families also revealed they had learned that some Egyptian and Libyan tribes had intervened to negotiate with the militants, but added they had not received any calls neither from their sons nor the kidnappers.
The Popular Current, a party-to-be founded by supporters of former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi, denounced the ongoing targeting of Egyptian Copts in Libya, and blamed the current authorities for failing to protect the dignity of citizens abroad.
In a statement on Sunday, the party demanded the Egyptian government push for the release of the kidnapped and secure other Egyptians seeking to return home.
“Terrorist actions targeting Egyptians in Libya come as a punishment for the 30 June revolution, siding with the state against terrorism and for Egypt’s support for the establishment of a Libyan state,” read the statement. “There is no point talking about any accomplishments as long as Egyptians are having their dignity violated and targeted.”
The statement was referring to the June 2013 uprising that ousted former Islamist president Mohamed Morsy. Post-Morsy governments publicly backed renegade Libyan troops fighting against Islamist militants.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
