Egyptians safe, but stranded at Libya-Tunisia border (News Feature)

By Nehal El-Sherif Mar 1, 2011, 16:51 GMT

Cairo/Ras Jedir, Tunisia - Stretched out across the Libya- Tunisian border are at least 20,000 Egyptians. All of them are fleeing the unrest in Libya. Thousands have no choice but to sleep in the open, with barely a blanket for cover, as they await rescue.

The luckier ones sleep in makeshift tents. They line up for food handouts from volunteers and aid workers who have brought in what they can from neighbouring Tunisian cities.

Humanitarian workers were 'seriously overstretched,' the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said as it warned Tuesday that the situation in Tunisia was reaching a 'crisis point.'

The UNHCR had earlier called on the international community to provide substantial humanitarian support for Tunisia and Egypt, as both countries struggle to deal with tens of thousands of people fleeing Libya.

More than 90,000 Egyptians have fled Libya since violence erupted through the western and eastern borders of the country, according to the Egyptian government.

The migrants have survived the dangerous journey from Libya into Tunisia to escape the unrest after anti-government protests erupted February 17. But once in Tunisia, the migrants, many of them poor construction workers, face another struggle altogether.

They wait in uncertainty, for a boat or a plane to get them out of Tunisia and back home to Egypt.

Most fled Libya with just a suitcase, but entered Tunisia with only the clothes on their back, saying that African mercenaries and Libyan border guards confiscated their belongings.

Others said that border guards in Libya took their mobile phone cards, the memory cards from their cameras and their laptops.

'Why is Egypt not evacuating us quickly?' asked one Egyptian migrant, who had nothing with him except a blanket.

Frustrated and angry, thousands of them have been complaining that their own government has neglected them, unlike those from wealthier Western nations who were quickly evacuated.

'No one asks about us. Where is (Foreign Minister) Ahmed Abul Gheit? Where is the prime minister?' asked another Egyptian stranded at the border.

Egyptians have been protesting at the border, shouting 'Where is the ambassador?' and 'Where are the planes?'

A few dozen Egyptian flights and a number of ships have been sent to both Tunisia and Libya to bring back Egyptian workers fleeing the violence.

With about 1.5 million Egyptians working and living in Libya prior to the unrest, there are still thousands more expected to flee Libya as tens of thousands continue to wait in Tunisia for help.

Aid workers at Ras Jedir, about 150 kilometres from the Libyan capital Tripoli, are simply unable to cope with the increasing numbers of migrants flooding over the border.

Sayed Gharib was one of many Egyptians who fled to Tunisia, after working in western Libya for nearly two years. He made it to Cairo, but credited mostly the Tunisians for their assistance.

'Tunisians have helped us a lot. They provided us with food, medical treatment and even transportation until the Djerba airport,' said Gharib.

At least 11 Egyptians have died in the unrest in Libya, the ministry of health said Tuesday.

Mohamed Abdel Hakam, the deputy foreign minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad, said that the country is sending four armed forces ships to Tunisia to ferry back thousands of migrants.

More than 90,000 Egyptians have fled Libya since violence erupted through the western and eastern borders of that country, Abdel Hakam said.

The situation at the Libyan-Egyptian border has not been as chaotic. Egyptians have found it easier to get to their hometowns once inside Egypt. But the eastern part of Libya has been mostly run by anti-government protesters, who are working with aid organizations to assist the migrants.

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