Egypt, Libya discuss reopening of main border crossing

PeoplePeople cross the Egypt-Libya border August 1, 2015. (Photo: AP)

On August 27, Egyptian and Libyan officials met to discuss reopening the shared land border between the two countries.

Egypt's Marsa Matrouh Governor Alaa Abou Zeid met with Interior Minister Mustafa El-Dabbas and other Libyan government officials to discuss specific measures to reopen the Musaid border crossing on the Egypt-Libya border, ensuring security to facilitate safe travel of citizens of both countries across the border.

The border crossing was closed after Libyan security forces lost control of the area on August 15. The cause of the incident is unclear. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry of the internationally recognized Libyan government, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, said Libyan border guards at the Musaid crossing had been forced to withdraw due to “some problems,” but did not elaborate on why they had abandoned their posts.

The 1,000-km long Egyptian-Libyan border has become a major security threat to Cairo in recent years, as anti-government forces have sought to smuggle weapons into Egypt. Musaid is the main border crossing between Egypt and Libya, about 240 km from Egypt's Marsa Matrouh province and 150 km from the Libyan city of Tobruk./.

According to VN+