Six hundred undocumented Egyptians to be deported from Libya

Libya has begun the deportation of 600 undocumented Egyptians who sneaked illegally into the oil-rich African country used as a launch-pad for crossing the Mediterranean for Europe.
Mohamad Bardaa, deputy for security affairs at the Directorate of Combating Illegal Migration answering to the Tripoli-based government, told AFP that deportees had entered Libya illegally, Ahram Online reports.
Egypt shares a more than 1,000-kilometer-long border with Libya. Egyptian authorities have stepped up since 2016 to deal with irregular migration, setting a legislative framework to combat the smuggling of migrants.
In 2016, Ahram Online notes, Egypt launched its first national strategy to counter the smuggling of migrants and to ensure the protection of vulnerable migrants. Authorities tightened penalties on whoever commits, attempts, or is involved in the crime of smuggling migrants.
In June 2023, the New Arab reports, Libyan media had broadcast unverified footage showing nearly 1,000 Egyptians guarded by soldiers and forced to reach the Egyptian border on foot.