Multiple videos and photos of the return of Egyptian migrants from Libya across the Egyptian-Libyan land border were posted on social media. They showed hundreds of people carried in vehicles belonging to the Libyan Border Guards in the eastern region.
They were deported after the beginning of the security measures announced by the Libyan military forces, which target smugglers and drug traffickers in the border area. A curfew was imposed starting from June 3, 2023.
Beginning of events:
according to the Ministry of Interior in the eastern region, clashes occurred on the evening of Tuesday, May 30, 2023, between Libyan border guards and outlaws in the border area of Imsaad. The security measures came to eliminate smuggling, drugs and other destructive phenomena.
However, the social media platforms circulated news that the cause of the clashes was the death of the child Ahmed al-Habouni after border guards shot at a car suspected of belonging to a smuggler.
This prompted residents to attack the headquarters of the border guard forces, causing a security alert in the city and the surrounding areas to carry out a campaign of arrest and detention, which is considered the largest of its kind in the city.
This resulted in the seizure of tons of narcotics and contraband, as well as the arrest of at least 4,000 illegal migrants who were arrested after being detained by smuggling gangs.
Falso fact-checking:
After reviewing everything more closely, it became clear that the above mentioned claim is true. The photos, videos and statements of the responsible authorities say so. The Libyan authorities deported 4,000 irregular migrants to Egypt on foot. The scene of deportation that took place during the past days was denounced by some social media users who commented “on foot as if they were prisoners of war”.
However, according to Egyptian and Libyan newspapers, it was confirmed that the transfer was carried out by consensus between the border authorities in Libya and Egypt and that the distance was not more than 2 kilometers between the region and the Egyptian border.
Another controversy sparked because of a statement to the Cairo 24 newspaper on June 2023.
2,000 Egyptian migrants returned to Libya again after the completion of the required documents. According to the statement of the head of the irregular migration department in Cairo 24 newspaper, there is a permit to bring workers from Egypt. The Military Investment Authority approved entry for about two thousand people.
The total number of deportees from Libya to Egypt decreased to 2,000 irregular migrants. 2000 migrants stayed in Libya for the purpose of working inside Libya with the approval of the authorities in the eastern region.
However, we find it strange that there is no statement published in the local Libyan newspapers and media regarding these details.
A large segment of Libyan society don’t accept recruiting workers from outside the country. They explain their rejection by the fact that this will be the beginning of the settlement of migrants in Libya.
Sources:
Cairo 24 statement of the head of the authority
Verification Links:
locations where the videos were filmed
- The city of Imsaad which is about 14 kilometers away from the Salloum land crossing, connecting Egypt and Libya.
- The old customs area, which is 4.5 km from the Egyptian border.
- The building of the Directorate of Security is Imsaad.
