An American Center Demands Washington Rescue Its Yemeni Embassy Staff Stranded in Egypt
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The American Center for Justice, on Wednesday, called on the US State Department to take urgent action to rescue more than 110 Yemeni families of former US Embassy employees in Sana’a, who have been stranded in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for years, amid harsh humanitarian conditions that have claimed the lives of four family heads.
The Center explained, in a letter sent to the US State Department, that these employees fled to Egypt following the escalation of violations by the Houthi group against them after its control of the Yemeni capital and the closure of the US Embassy in Sana’a in 2015, adding that they are currently facing deteriorating living conditions, including lack of health care and education, lack of income, and an increased risk of deportation due to inability to renew their residencies.
According to the Center, the families are living on minimal food, forced to subsist on one meal a day, while many are unable to pay monthly rent or residency fees, which amount to $150 per person every six months, depriving their children of schooling and access to health services.
The statement indicated that some families have sold their last possessions and moved to live in overcrowded and unsafe residential areas, where some have been subjected to theft and extortion, at a time when some charitable organizations have stopped their aid due to the ongoing crisis without effective intervention from Washington.
In this context, the head of the Center, Latifa Jameel, considered that the continued disregard for the situation of these employees “represents an unjustified moral and strategic betrayal,” stressing that the US bears the responsibility of protecting its partners who served its institutions in an extremely dangerous environment.
The Center demanded immediate measures from the US administration, including: accelerating resettlement mechanisms, or granting special visas such as the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) or P-2 program referrals, in addition to providing urgent humanitarian assistance through cooperation with international organizations, and direct communication with affected families to ensure transparency.
In 2015, the US, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration, evacuated a number of its local employees in Yemen and their families to Cairo as a temporary solution, with the understanding that they would later be transferred to US territory within a period not exceeding nine months. However, the majority remain stranded to this day, despite nearly ten years passing, without concrete solutions or clear guarantees.
