Dozens of Egyptian university students stranded in Libya have called on the Egyptian government to evacuate them amid rising armed clashes in the capital, Tripoli.
Two students told Al Manassa they have remained indoors for days, fearing the relentless gunfire, and are still awaiting action from Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education.
Tensions have surged in Tripoli following the killing of Abdel Ghani Al-Kikli, head of the Stability Support Apparatus, and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's subsequent decisions to dissolve and restructure various security agencies.
"We've been pleading with the Ministry of Higher Education since last week," said Mahmoud Al-Ashry, an Egyptian student at the University of Tripoli. "We can't even leave our apartments. The sound of gunfire is constant, and we’re terrified."
Al-Ashry added that universities in the capital have closed and classes have been suspended, casting uncertainty over their academic futures. He urged the government to treat them like the Egyptian footballers recently repatriated from Libya.
"We're no less important," he said. "We're Egyptians too, and we want to return home to safety and continue our studies."
Earlier this week, the first group of stranded Egyptian athletes arrived at Cairo International Airport, welcomed by an official delegation from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
In a widely shared Facebook post, a group describing themselves as "Egyptian students studying in Tripoli" wrote: "We are no longer just expatriates. We are trapped, surrounded by flames of conflict between rival Libyan factions. Bullets fly over our heads. Explosions shake our dorm walls. We have no shelter and nowhere to flee. We are in real danger."
"We appeal to the conscience of every free Egyptian... to the Egyptian state and all its institutions: Where is the protection for your children abroad? Where is the helping hand of the state? We only ask to be returned safely to our homeland. This is a cry for help... a matter of life or death. Egypt, our safe haven, don’t abandon us," the post continued.
Eman Aoun, a student at Africa University of Humanities & Applied Sciences, echoed the fears. "No one from the authorities has taken any action to help us," she told Al Manassa. "We are constantly surrounded by anxiety and the sound of gunfire. All we think about now is getting back to Egypt and resuming our education."
A senior official at the Supreme Council of Universities, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the council is monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant state bodies to ensure students' safety.
The source noted that the Ministry of Higher Education has an emergency response plan modeled after its approach during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Should the government decide to transfer Egyptian students in Libya to local universities, the same procedures would apply.
The official cited Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Constitutional Declaration no. 30 of 2011, which authorizes the higher education minister to approve student transfers from foreign to Egyptian universities in emergencies, even if students fail to meet minimum admission requirements, subject to regulatory guidelines.
According to those guidelines, students must have obtained an Egyptian high school diploma or equivalent before enrolling abroad. Their degrees must be from accredited institutions, and subject to official equivalency evaluation. If the institution is unaccredited, students will be required to take a placement test to determine the appropriate academic year.
If the number of applicants exceeds the university's capacity, priority will go to those with higher grades. The remaining students may reapply to other institutions. The requirement that students complete at least 50% of their studies in Egypt will be waived in favor of a single academic year for those coming from accredited institutions.
The source added that Egyptian private and national universities will increase their capacity by 10% to accommodate transferees.
