The Reasons Behind Complicating Yemenis Travel to their Primary External Destination

On April 2nd, Egypt deported dozens of Yemeni coming from Aden International Airport to Cairo International Airport. They were detained after not meeting the new conditions set by Cairo to allow Yemenis to enter the country. 

Flight No. 601 of Yemen Airways was the first one which collided with Egyptian procedures. This has stirred the Yemenis' concerns about complicating their travel to their first external destination where they receive medical care and enjoy stability away from the brunt of the Yemeni war.

Before this air flight, the Egyptian Ministry of Interior approved some measures, seen by “South24 Center” for granting travel visas to Yemenis. This comes years after facilities provided by Cairo to the Yemenis in light of the war and the crisis that has stroked their country. 

The memorandum obligated Yemenis coming directly to Egypt for treatment to obtain documented medical reports. It was also stipulated that all Yemeni nationals between the ages of 16-50 arriving in Egypt accompanied by exempted parents over 50 should obtain prior entry visas to the country.

The memorandum obligates all Yemenis between the ages of 16 and 50 to obtain entry visas in advance, with security approval, for Yemeni nationals residing in the European Union, the United States, and the GCC countries.

These measures came after the visit made by Yemeni Foreign Minister, Ahmed bin Mubarak, to Ethiopia on March 19th where he gave statements that have been linked, by observers who spoke to “South24 Center”, to the latest complications regarding the Yemenis’ travel to Egypt. 

During a meeting with his Ethiopian counterpart, Bin Mubarak affirmed "the solidarity of the Republic of Yemen and its support for all the steps taken by the Ethiopian government to move the wheel of development..." according to the official Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs website amid the crisis of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with both Egypt and Sudan. 

In response to these accusations, the Yemeni minister claimed that there is a campaign against him due to the efforts of the Foreign Ministry to reduce the number of diplomatic missions and attachés in embassies abroad. 

Bin Mubarak tweeted: “Over the past two days, I watched an organized media campaign that targeted us personally... We reject using personal targeting to offend our strong and historical relationship with Egypt”. 

In an interview with the Egyptian newspaper “El-Aosboa”, Bin Mubarak said that his visit to Ethiopia Was coordinated with Egypt. He added: “I didn’t give any statements related to Egypt’s national security. I refused to hold any press conference to avoid misunderstanding any statements”.

Officially, Egyptian authorities have not so far commented on the reasons for the latest procedures. However, Egyptian MB Mostafa Bakry quoted Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry as saying that he attributed the measures to "organizational reasons".

Shoukry told “El-Aosboa” that “the latest decisions are not related to a certain political stance but they are regulatory measures because some exploit that for permanent residency which has repercussions on the Egyptian government and an economic burden on Egypt”.

“The Yemenis are brotherly people. So, we are looking for a solution that complies with security considerations and allows the Yemeni brothers to enjoy what they are used to from Egypt," he added.

According to Bakry, Minister Shoukry announced that he will meet with his Yemeni counterpart on Thursday to discuss these matters.

Previously, Bakry tweeted: “The Yemeni people should not be punished because of the stance adopted by the current Yemeni Foreign Minister. President El-Sisi opened Egypt’s doors for all brothers without discrimination and gave them several facilities”.

He continued by saying: “Egypt is bigger than any behavior made by an official. We hope that President El-Sisi will intervene to end this crisis whose cost is being paid by the Yemeni people and not the Foreign Minister”. 

In a TV interview, Bakry said: “Egypt is sensitive towards any positions supporting the Ethiopian side.... The Yemeni Foreign Minister’s visit put everyone in real trouble. We hope that the Yemenis’ situation in Egypt will return to normal”. 

The Egyptian-based human right researcher and academic Heba Al-Aidrous told “South24 Center”: “Bin Mubarak’s visit to Ethiopia was not important. It had nothing to do with the interests of Yemenis and we shouldn't risk in any way our strong historical relations with Egypt”.

“However, I can’t confirm that these decisions were a reaction against this visit in particular. According to statements by the Egyptian authorities, these procedures apply to all nationalities. This is an official confirmation that Yemenis residing in Egypt are not directly targeted for any reason," she said.