The Somali embassy in Egypt said it was conducting urgent diplomatic efforts after dozens of Somali citizens were detained or turned away at Cairo International Airport, as Egypt abruptly suspended the immigration system that previously allowed Somalis to enter the country.
A statement from the embassy said that Somalia’s Ambassador to Egypt, Ali Abdi Aware, had gone to the airport to monitor the situation of the citizens stranded there.
The embassy said that these efforts had enabled the release of more than 20 Somalis who were at the airport, although others were sent back to their countries of origin.
Embassy officials said they had held discussions with Egyptian government agencies to discuss the new measure to stop Somalis from entering, which they said had not been previously informed to the Somali government.
A statement from the embassy also noted that some of the people who were turned away were traveling to Egypt for medical reasons.
The Somali Embassy in Cairo has finally called on Somali citizens planning to travel to Egypt to closely monitor the latest instructions and information from the embassy and Somali immigration agencies.
Yesterday, the Somali Immigration Agency issued a change in the way Somalis travel to Egypt, informing them that the previous exit procedure had been temporarily suspended, which resulted in several nights of Somali citizens being stranded at Cairo Airport, unable to leave the airport or travel to their home countries.