Tripoli, 18 October:
All Egyptians coming to work in Libya will in future have to have their work contracts endorsed by the . . .[restrict]Egyptian authorities. The move, announced on Wednesday in Cairo by Egypt’s Minister of Manpower and Immigration, Khaled Azhari, is designed to help end the confusion which, over the past few months, saw many Egyptians workers refused entry to Libya because of questions about documentation and valid visas.
However, according to the Egyptian assistant secretary of state responsible for the affairs of Egyptians abroad, Ali Ashiri, the matter is has not been a problem for the vast majority of Egyptians traveling to Libya. Some Egyptians had been refused entry despite having valid visas, he was reported as saying by Al-Ahram newspaper, but they were isolated cases and the problems had been dealt with by the relevant authorities.
Ashiri also said that all the Egyptians who had wanted to leave Bani Walid and the nearby Wadi Mardoum because of the situation there had now been evacuated without incident. Nor had any Egyptians been harmed in any of the clashes there. The evacuation had been organised in collaboration with the Libyan authorities, he said.
It is estimated that until the present crisis broke out last month, there were over 1,000 Egyptians living and working in Bani Walid. Some estimates put the figure as high as 2,000. They constitute the largest foreign community in and around the town.
Embassies in Tripoli from a number countries with citizens in Bani Walid have also been looking to evacuate them. However, most have opted to leave. Some told their embassies that they had been informed that if they did leave there would be no jobs for them when they returned.
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