Many thousands of expatriates -- including Egyptians -- are fleeing Libya as the situation worsens, with relief agencies struggling to cope, reports Doaa El-Bey The first two Armed Forces ferries arrived Tuesday and yesterday to Egypt carrying thousands of Egyptians from the Tunisian border city of Ras Jedeir. The Foreign Ministry declared that 100,000 Egyptians were lifted by air, land and sea from Libya to Egypt since the outbreak of protests against the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. More Armed Forces and other ferries will arrive in the next few days to carry more of those stranded in Ras Jedeir. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees declared this week that nearly 100,000 people have fled violence in Libya in the past week. The Tunisian authorities managed so far to provide shelter for those people -- mainly Egyptians, Libyans, Chinese and other Asians. However, if the number increases or the current numbers are not repatriated to their countries, a humanitarian crisis could erupt. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry in collaboration with EgyptAir managed to send tens of planes to Tripoli and other cities to lift people to Egypt. Mohamed Abdel-Hakam, assistant to the foreign minister for consular affairs and Egyptian expatriates, said that EgyptAir sent 24 planes to Libya -- 20 to Tripoli and the rest to Sirte and Sabha -- and 39 to Tunisia on Tuesday. Some 20 planes were sent to Libya and seven to Tunisia on Monday and 22 to Libya and 13 to Tunisia on Sunday. "We would have liked to send more planes to Libya, but we are stuck with the number of permits that the Libyan authorities offer us. Tripoli airport is small and there are other countries who want to take their nationals as well," Abdel-Hakam said. There are between 1-1.5 million Egyptians living in Libya. The number may be more, given illegal workers who are not registered with the embassy. The protests in Libya, particularly the force of the government crackdown, have forced them to leave -- some without any of their personal belongings, let alone their savings. There may be others who cannot escape. Many expatriate workers have had reason to fear for their safety and that of their families, facing the risk of travelling to airports or Libya's borders and a way home to their countries. Egyptians have also suffered bad treatment at the hands of pro-Gaddafi Libyans who considered Egyptians the perpetrators of the protests. "If it has been proven that they were badly treated, we will fight their case through international laws that govern that matter," Abdel-Hakam said. Individual cases reflect the ordeal of many Egyptians who were forced out of Libya as a result of the protests. Magdi Salem, a carpenter in his 30s, stayed in his house in fear for several days. Eventually he had to leave his home when he realised that he and his eight children were in real danger. "There were police and black mercenaries on the roof of the apartment building where we lived. I hid with my wife and children in the bathroom at one point when we were scared they would break into our apartment," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. All Salem's attempts to call the Egyptian embassy failed. He decided not to go to the airport because he heard stories about friends and colleagues who failed to enter it or had to pay between 200 and 300 Libyan dinars to enter but failed to travel to Egypt. Others were badly treated by Libyan workers at the airport. In the end, a Libyan acquaintance offered him a lift to the town of Ras Jedeir. "It was a 45-minute ride in normal circumstances. But it took us some six hours to reach Ras Jedeir because we had to stop at a number of checkpoints where our money and SIM cards were taken. We then had to take detours to avoid further checkpoints," he added. In Ras Jedeir, Salem and his family were welcomed by the Tunisians who offered them shelter, food and money. Salem and family had to stay two nights until they found places on a plane to Egypt. While he feels blessed that he is safe in Egypt with all his family members, Salem left everything else behind. Now he has to find ways to enrol his children in schools and universities, though he hardly had the chance to gather the necessary papers. Ahmed Hani Makram, an engineer in a reputable company, was luckier. His company sent him tickets as soon as it was obvious that he had to leave. Before that he had to stay within the confines of his home for days on end near Tripoli's city centre. However, the ticket sent did not allow Makram and family access to the airport. A strong nudge from an airport officer forced Makram to abandon the airport. All around was chaos. Makram and his family then had to travel to Ras Jedeir, a 90-minute drive that took them many hours. Like Salem, Makram's ordeal came to an end when he arrived in Tunisia and was welcomed and given food and money. He thanks embassy staff and EgyptAir for the help they offered his family and other families in Ras Jedeir. The situation of Egyptians and other nationalities that managed to cross the Libyan border with Egypt is better. Although some are still stranded in Saloum, they are offered food, water and shelter by the Egyptian army and other humanitarian organisations. Buses from the army and other travel companies transport hundreds every day to Cairo or other destinations. The deteriorating situation in Libya, however, is likely to increase the influx of refugees and could spark a full-blown humanitarian disaster on Egypt's western border.
