Displaced Yemenis suffer in silence in Egypt
Despite the war raging in their country, Yemen’s displaced citizens in Egypt await the day they can return.
CAIRO — The Yemenis in Egypt maintain a low profile. They mingle quietly with Egyptian society, hoping that one day they will be able to go back to their own country.
There are few Yemenis in Egypt — an estimated 5,000. Many are concentrated in the Dokki and Agouza districts of Cairo. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Cairo does not have any information about Yemenis in Egypt. According to some in the Yemeni community, the UNHCR has been of little help to them. Many Yemenis do not even bother to visit the UNHCR and are not applying for refugee status.
In mid-2015, Yemenis who came to Egypt for medical reasons were unable to go back to their country. Khaled al-Shayba, an official at the Yemeni Consulate in Cairo, said by phone that the consulate took care of those who were stranded as well as it could, but with few resources.
Egypt is one of the few countries that allow Yemenis in. It has changed its visa policies toward Yemenis, allowing those who are above 45 or below 18 to enter without a visa. Among those in the age group of 18-45, only a few wealthy Yemenis are able to enter. With the current economic situation in Egypt, Yemenis who do enter also struggle to find jobs.
