A total of 63, 389 Egyptians have arrived at the Sallum border crossing from the war-torn Libya since the beheading of 20 Egyptian Copts by Islamic State (IS) militants in February, Youm7 reported Thursday.
Within the past 24 hours, the crossing has received 508 Egyptians and Libyans, out of whom 423 have legally travelled between the two countries, Matrouh Security Director Al-Anany Hamouda told Youm7.
Hamouda added that some 374 others; 161 Egyptians and 212 Libyans left to Libya via the border.
In mid-February, Egyptian retaliatory airstrikes hit Islamic State (IS) group’s strongholds in Derna in response to the militant group’s gruesome video of beheading 20 Egyptian Copts in Libya.
Since then, the Sallum crossing has been receiving hundreds of Egyptians fleeing Libya on nearly daily basis. Border guards have also arrested many Egyptian and African migrants trying to illegally cross to the restive oil-rich state in search for a better life.
At least one million Egyptians have fled Libya in the wake of the 2011 uprising. The country was one of the biggest destinations for Egyptian laborers.
