Russian military attacks in Ukraine have been causing a growing number of people to flee the violence and seek safety, either in some parts of Ukraine, or in neighbouring states.
This is raising questions about whether these operations will cause a migration crisis.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Cairo said it had requested support from the office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the Egyptian capital.
It said it especially asked the office to offer help to Ukrainian tourists stranded in Egypt.
In this interview with the Egyptian Mail, IOM Mission Chief in Egypt, Laurent de Boeck, offers valuable information about what his organisation is doing to help these stranded Ukrainians as well as its contributions in mitigating the crisis at the international level.
Around 16,000 Ukrainian nationals are holidaying in Egypt at present, especially in Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam.
“These people need to leave, but not to Ukraine obviously,” de Boeck said. “They need to go to Ukraine’s neighbouring countries, given the fact that most of the airports in Ukraine are closed now.”
He praised what he described as ‘Egyptian hospitality’ in dealing with the Ukrainians, citing a decision by the Egyptian government to extend the stay of the aforementioned Ukrainian tourists.
However, he said, this should not last for long.
“We need to identify a solution,” the IOM chief in Cairo said.
De Boeck has already contacted the IOM headquarters in Geneva and the organisation’s office in Ukraine.
He said the organisation coordinates similar situations in other countries as well.
The IOM has also been receiving requests for help from international governments, including the Egyptian one, whose nationals are stranded in Ukraine as well and cannot return home.
“We are still analysing how we can operate this,” he said.
He said his organisation would try to prioritise those trying to flee the violence in Ukraine to safety in neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Belarus.
The IOM offices, de Boeck, are very active in receiving these people in co-operation with the governments concerned.
“We would not encourage anybody to return to Ukraine for the time being,” he said.
“We need to discuss and check where they will go,” he added.
In Egypt, the IOM is in continual contact with the Ukrainian embassy.
De Boeck said Ukrainian nationals stranded in the country are well received and not in danger.
“They just want to be close to their families,” he said.
He noted, however, that Ukrainians are leaving their country in great numbers and those outside their country already are applying for asylum.
He expressed hopes that diplomacy, political pressure and sanctions would pay off.
“The world is concerned,” de Boeck said. “I hope this will not escalate.”
Irregular migration
He said Egypt has been taking vibrant measures to fight irregular migration since 2016.
The Arab country, he said, managed to stop boats carrying illegal migrants.
De Boeck revealed that Egypt succeeded in bringing the departure of illegal migrants from its north coast down to zero in 2017.
The IOM chief in Cairo added that there had been a just few boats leaving illegally from the Egyptian coast since then.
“They are also being stopped immediately,” de Boeck said.
Nonetheless, the IOM talks about between 100 and 200 leaving the country illegally to other countries every year.
“But this is absolutely nothing,” de Boeck said.
He cited initiatives being launched inside Egypt to stem the illegal migration tide.
These initiatives, he said, show that Egypt is analysing the reasons why migrants are trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and putting in place a series of programmes to address these causes.
De Boeck especially cited the presidential ‘Life Saving Boats’ initiative which was launched in 2019.
The initiative, he said, depends on activities by all state authorities that respond to the root causes of irregular migration.
“A wide range of activities are being made here to curb irregular migration,” the IOM chief in Cairo said. “In my opinion, Egypt uses a very comprehensive approach that is not only about law-enforcement, police and the army, but also about looking at the long-term realities why people want to leave.”
He said the Egyptian government focuses on job-creation, skill development and the provision of access to finance, education and vocational training.
Migrants well treated
De Boeck referred to an analysis being prepared by the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on the way Egypt treats the migrants living in it.
The analysis, he said, has so far covered the sectors of education and health in Egypt.
He noted that most of the migrants surveyed within the analysis recognised the efforts made by Egypt.
“However, we have some who face issues like access to education or cannot afford health services,” de Boeck said.
“And then we realised there are systems and regulations in the country which invite institutions like health centres to provide access to medical services if there is an emergency case, regardless of the status and the capacity to pay,” he added.
He said health facilities and schools usually suffer in areas where there is a high concentration of migrants due to high demand.
That is why, he said, the IOM tries to increase the capacity of hospitals by providing technical support, equipment, and training.
The organisation, he added, does this to thank the people operating these facilities for welcoming migrants.
De Boeck said Egypt welcomes large numbers of migrants.
“The government said they are 6 million,” the IOM chief in Cairo said. “We look into that specifically.”
He said the migrants’ number could be higher.
He said what is particularly interesting in Egypt is that the country does not put migrants into camps, but integrates them into the Egyptian society, regardless of the duration of their stay.
He said in 2020, the Egyptian government became a champion of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).
The GCM is a guide for governance on how to have comprehensive migration governance.
“There are few countries that are champions in the world,” de Boeck said.
He said only 16 countries have succeeded to rise to that category and Egypt is one of them.
He said Egypt is quite engaged and is willing to do more.
“President Abdel Fattah El Sisi always gives directives to ministers and technical bodies to enlarge the capacity to welcome migrants,” de Boeck said.
“We need to work hand in hand to offer equal opportunities for both citizens and migrants,” he added.
