Egypt’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it successfully secured the release of 1,379 nationals who were detained in Libya over illegal migration cases since the start of this year, amid ongoing efforts to curb the number of citizens attempting to reach Europe through irregular and unsafe routes.
The statement said that 508 Egyptians detained in Tripoli between January and April had now been repatriated in coordination with authorities in Libya.
Another 871 Egyptians detained in Benghazi, all of whom were held due to charges related to their involvement in illegal migration cases over the same period, have also been repatriated.
The foreign ministry confirmed it recovered the bodies of 94 of Egyptians who died in migrant boat incidents.
Egyptian authorities said they returned the remains of five Egyptians found off the Tunisian coast, after their bodies were identified through DNA testing.
The development comes as Egypt, in recent years, has intensified its efforts to monitor and control illegal migration and human trafficking networks, which comes amid a rise in migrant boat crises in the Mediterranean region.
Cairo has repeatedly warned citizens against taking irregular migration journeys which are often dangerous.
The ministry called on people to avoid any "illusions of irregular migration," and warned people against getting involved with trafficking networks.
Libya is a key transit point for many civilians seeking to cross from North Africa into Europe in search of better opportunities and greater stability.
Human trafficking networks are also rife in Libya, with many taking advantage of the instability that has rocked the country since 2011. Often, desperate migrants are crammed onto small boats before departing on a risky sea journey.
Since the start of 2025, diplomatic efforts between Egypt and Libya have resulted in 3,000 Egyptians accused of irregular migration being repatriated, while around 1,200 have been released from Libyan prisons.
Last month, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the total deaths in 2026 from Mediterranean shipwrecks have neared 1,000.
The group noted the figure marked an increase of more than 150 percent since 2025.
"Saving lives must come first. But we also need stronger, unified efforts to stop traffickers and smugglers from exploiting vulnerable people, and to expand safe and regular pathways – so no one is ever forced into these deadly journeys," Amy Pope, the general director of IOM said in a statement.