Five Egyptian troops held hostage in Libya were freed Monday (July 30th) in a joint operation carried out by Sudanese and Egyptian intelligence services, security officers from the two countries said.
The soldiers had been seized along the Egyptian-Libyan border and held captive in southern Libya, a Sudanese security officer said, while the Egyptian military said they were part of a patrol that had gone missing, AFP reported.
"Five Egyptian soldiers who were abducted along the Libyan-Egyptian border and held hostage by outlaws have been freed today," said Brig. Mohamed Hamid from Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).
"The rescue operation was carried out in co-ordination with NISS, Sudanese military intelligence and the Egyptian intelligence service," he said.
The troops had been taken to southern Libya from where they were rescued on Monday, Hamid told reporters at Khartoum airport after the soldiers were brought to Sudan. He did not say when the soldiers had been seized.
"They have been handed over to Egyptian intelligence now," Hamid said, adding that the entire operation took several days to be executed.
The Egyptian military confirmed the release of its soldiers.
"The Egyptian armed forces extend their gratitude and appreciation to the Sudanese armed forces and security apparatuses in co-operating with them for the return of the missing patrol," Egyptian military spokesman Col. Tamer al-Refaie said.
We welcome the rapprochement between Egypt and Sudan! We welcome the return of brothers! Egypt and Sudan have always been one country, and everyone knows it. We’re people who God endowed with a lifeline that gives us all life without discrimination! Blood ran through our vein as long as this great river, the Nile, ran! The Sudanese people used to enter Egypt without any restrictions. We see our Sudanese brothers everywhere in Egypt without feeling astonished. We see them on trains and public transportation. They’re our neighbours, students at educational institutes, al-Azhar and Islamic Scholarships. Those who planted discord among us let them get away from here. We welcome the bonds of love and friendship, and we welcome the water of our Nile that kills their thirst and ours! Let the closed border be opened. Let trade flourish. Let the fertile soil, which needs the hard work of farmers to bring fruit, be cultivated. Let the railways extend between Egypt and Sudan. Let those who seek disunity and deprivation of the two people of the water of their Nile get away! You’re most welcome here!
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