Yemenis who fled the conflict in their country between the Houthis and the current Yemeni regime headed by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi have not found the safe life they sought. Despite their attempts to protect themselves and their families by heading to Egypt, their lives are still at risk.
In Egypt, armed gangs and thugs target and terrify Yemenis residing in Cairo. They stir panic and fear to reap profit and earn monthly payments by imposing fees and promising to protect the Yemenis against any harm, corruption on the part of local traders or blackmail by the region’s residents. All of this takes place amid idleness on the part of Egyptian security authorities and the Yemeni Embassy.
In front of the Yemeni Embassy, located in Cairo’s Dokki neighborhood, one of these thugs tracks and monitors the Yemenis, then offers assistance to find accommodation and fulfill their needs in exchange for monthly payments. The Yemenis, held at gunpoint by the armed gangs, could be kidnapped and robbed if they do not agree to the monthly payments.
Mukhaimar, 51, lives in the Faisal region located in the Giza governorate on the outskirts of Cairo. He is married and has three sons. He told Al-Monitor, “As I was leaving the Yemeni Embassy immediately after I arrived to Cairo, fleeing imminent death in Yemen and the heated Operation Decisive Storm launched by the coalition forces led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the participation of Egypt, three people came up to me. They were dressed in black suits and introduced themselves as police officers. They asked me for my passport to check its validity and then took me to a private vehicle. One of them asked his partner to search me. At the time I had $900 on me. They explained the gravity of the situation in Egypt and offered me protection in return for 2,000 Egyptian pounds [$255] per month. They had me at gunpoint, and I ended up paying them this amount every month.”
Mukhaimar said, “I did not dare to refuse to preserve my life and my family’s [lives].”
According to adviser Ibrahim al-Jahmi, head of expatriate affairs at the Yemeni Embassy in Egypt, there are 25,000 Yemenis permanently residing in Egypt in addition to 15,000 Yemeni students studying in Egyptian universities. According to Jahmi, 135,000 Yemenis enter Egypt annually.
Ibrahim Mohammadi, a Yemeni living in the Faisal area, refused to bow to the thugs’ demands in Egypt and pay monthly fees. He filed a report at the Faisal police station, in which he stated that 150,000 Egyptian pounds ($19,000) was stolen from his home. The police showed interest in the case and decided to send the report to the public prosecutor for further investigation. However, Mohammadi decided to stop cooperating with the police and security forces after he received death threats from the same armed gangs who robbed him if he talked to the police.
Mohammadi told Al-Monitor, “Thugs stole all my money. I had saved up this amount to buy an apartment instead of the one I rent. Now I have no money to spend.”
Regarding the role of the Yemeni Embassy, Mohammadi said, “My money was stolen and the embassy did not lift a finger. Our lives are in danger, and the embassy did not bother to protect us. Yemenis are dying of starvation in Cairo, and the embassy remains idle. All it does is ask Yemenis to leave their phone numbers and a copy of their passports, saying it will follow up on their situations.”
Jahmi denied this claim. He believes the Yemeni Embassy provides all aspects of support and assistance to its citizens to the best of its abilities.
Commenting on the intimidation of Yemeni communities in Egypt, he said, “Numerous Yemenis resorted to us, demanding [we] protect them from the thugs and from the imposition of royalties. We asked them to live in places close to the embassy, such as Dokki, Agouza, Mohandessin and Manial, so that we can protect them, given the heavy deployment of security members in these regions.”
He added, “There is a problem in the culture of the Yemeni citizens that makes it easy to rob them in Cairo. They walk down the street carrying all of their money in their pockets. They do not know the names of streets and squares in Cairo well. They are afraid of thugs and do not dare to report to the police stations or even to shout out for help on the streets.”
Maj. Gen. Magdi al-Shahed, formerly affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, told Al-Monitor, “Protecting the Yemeni communities is an integral part of the jurisdictions of the security authorities.” He called on the Yemeni communities living in Egypt not to pay money to thugs and to inform police if they are attacked by them.
Shahed advised Yemenis to keep away from dangerous places and live in the center of Cairo in high-density areas where it will be difficult to rob or attack them.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/07/egypt-yemen-gangs-threaten-steal-yemeni-embassy.html#ixzz3g1GiQVCm
No comments:
Post a Comment