The 14 students from Cyprus who visited Tanzania on a voluntary work trip are expressing distress to their parents after being stranded there following severe political unrest. The children, as philenews reported yesterday, were supposed to depart from the African country today and return to Cyprus via Dubai, which never happened.
Flights have been cancelled, the internet has been cut off, a curfew is in effect, and the military is intervening, with reports of executions of citizens during demonstrations.
This volatile situation has alarmed the parents, who sent a message to the President of the Republic, pleading with him to do everything possible to safely return their children to Cyprus. Additionally, the parents are holding meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be informed about the actions being taken and the plans being considered.
The situation prevailing in Tanzania, as the parents tell us, has begun to affect the 14 students (boys and girls aged 17 and 18). In fact, one of the children mentioned their available supplies in a phone call with their family. “We have food for two more days,” the child said. In another case, a parent reported that their child was crying and scared.
However, it was mentioned to us that their morale has not been lost and that they place their hopes in the Republic of Cyprus and its handling of the situation.
It is noted that the school mission to the village of Kilya in Tanzania, in addition to the 14 students from the private school, also includes two teachers and two chaperones from Greece. Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made known that four other people from Cyprus are also in the country, totaling 22 people.
Efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
All options for the return of the total of 22 Cypriots from Tanzania are being examined, stressed the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Theodoros Gotsis.
He said that coordinated efforts are being made between the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in Nairobi (which covers Tanzania) and the Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia.
There is no security issue, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also in contact with the parents of the group of children in Tanzania, he added. For the safe return of everyone to Cyprus, he added, contacts are also being made with the EU delegation in Tanzania.
Contact Information
In case of emergency, Cypriot citizens can contact the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in the Republic of Kenya at phone +254 111051430 or at the email addresses: [email protected], [email protected].
Furthermore, they can contact the Consular Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at phone +357 22 651113 and the Crisis Management Directorate at phones +357 22 801000 and +357 97 775998.
Cypriot citizens are also encouraged to register on the online platform for the registration of Cypriots abroad, Connect2CY.
