Egyptian police have arrested 120 people, 118 Egyptians and two Sudanese, who attempted to illegally cross the Egyptian-Libyan border at Salloum via desert roads on Sunday.
The Egyptian illegal immigrants are from the governorates of Minya, Beni Suef, Assuit, Fayoum, Qena, Beheira, Kafr El-Sheikh, Daqahleya, Sharqeya, Alexandria, Cairo, and Gharbeya, according to the Matruh security directorate.
The arrested are expected to face military courts on charges of attempting to illegally leave the country, and travelling in areas prohibited to civilians without prior permission.
Many illegal immigrants tend to risk their lives in the hopes of finding decent job opportunities in an unsecure environment, or to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.
Despite the ongoing political crisis in Libya, similar attempts to enter the Libyan borders were customary in the past year. Previous unsuccessful attempts to enter the Libyan borders in 2014 were thwarted by Egyptian police in October and November.
Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry is participating at tripartite meetings in Algeria, alongside his Italian and Algerian counterparts, to discuss the ongoing politically unstable situation in Libya and especially its impact on neighbouring countries.
