300 Irish citizens have fled since protests started

THE Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that as many as 300 Irish people may have left Egypt during the public campaign to have President Hosni Mubarak removed from power.

The department confirmed that it had provided assistance, mostly logistical assistance, to around 400 citizens in Egypt in recent weeks, and estimated that approximately 300 of those left the country.

At the height of the tensions in Cairo and other cities, the Government here had appealed to citizens not to travel to Egypt under any circumstances.

However, that status has now been downgraded, with the department now advising against any non-essential travel.

It is not known how many of the 300 Irish people who left Egypt were resident there for either the medium or long term.

It is likely that many were travellers, tourists or business people, or some contract workers. It is not known whether many who left are likely to return.

According to the department’s website: “Irish citizens are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Egypt at this time. Any citizens already in Egypt are advised to exercise caution and to avoid all demonstrations, and to keep up-do-date with local media reporting on the situation. Irish citizens should respect the curfew that is currently in place.

“Mass demonstrations have taken place in Egypt over the past weeks, with large scale demonstrations in Cairo, Alexandria, Suez and Luxor. Some of these demonstrations led to violent confrontations between police and demonstrators, and between rival factions of demonstrators

“There were reports of looting and violent disorder in some areas.

“The situation has now stabilised, but remains unpredictable.”

* Any Irish citizens who require assistance in Egypt are asked to contact the embassy at [phone], while any citizen who is in Egypt (resident or visitor) or intends travelling there is advised to register with the embassy here.