CAIRO — Twenty-three Egyptian workers who were recently detained by militias allied with the Tripoli-based government in western Libya and later released arrived home on Thursday, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported. The release and repatriation of the Egyptian workers came on the heels of footage circulated on social media purportedly showing militias linked to the U.N.-supported government humiliating scores of Egyptians captured in the western town of Tarhuna. Egyptian media said the "prompt" repatriation of the workers was the outcome of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's diplomatic efforts. On Monday, a video purportedly showing scores of Egyptian workers being coerced by Tripoli-allied militias to line up in rows and stand on one leg while raising their hands upward, was widely shared online. The recent incendiary footage of Egyptian workers raised concerns that Egypt's armed forces could launch a military operation into neighboring Libya to avenge its citizens.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 18, 2020 18:00 UTC