Cairo International Airport turns haven for harassing, dehumanising foreign travellers

Cairo International Airport is fast gaining nthe reputation of where foreign travellers are harassed, dehumanised and exploited at will.

Last week, a Nigeria clergyman, Rev Dr Israel Kristilere shared a video where he accused the Egyptian policemen working at the airport of framing him for sexual assault and threatening to jail him.

Click the link below to read our earlier report on this

Findings showed that Rev Kristilere’s experience wasn’t the first time Cairo International Airport officials would harass and dehumanise international travellers.

In 2021, some Yemenis wrote a petition decrying the actions of the airport officials. The petition partly reads: “Passengers traveling to and from Yemen through Cairo Airport have been mistreated by Cairo Airport employees. The mistreatment has been going on for years and has become worse over the last two years. Numerous videos have surfaced on social media platforms showing the specific targeting of passengers. Those passengers traveling to and from Yemen have been specially targeted by airport employees. The passengers have been harassed and forced to give bribes for normal and routine services that are normally provided for free to other passengers. Yemeni Americans have reached out to numerous congressional representatives and voiced their concerns over the mistreatment. The congressional representatives have advised the United States Embassy in Cairo. While there are no formal complaints at the US Embassy, many passengers have complained to the airport authorities who have been quick to dismiss any complaints. Complaints of mistreatment and harassment include: -Solicitation of bribes for routine services offered for free to other passengers including taking the bus from one terminal to the other and using the bathroom. -Theft of money, jewelry, cell phones, and other valuable items. -Inappropriate confiscation of permissible items, including honey, coffee, and spices from checked baggage. -Illegally holding on to passenger’s passports for up to 10 hours, and not returning them unless they give a bribe. A Yemeni passport picture page was intentionally ripped because they refused to give a bribe. -Passengers being followed to bathroom. We are asking for the United States Embassy to request a full investigation from the Cairo Airport officials.”

Prior to this time, South Sudanese travellers had accused the airport authorities of calling them slaves.

Speaking about the incident, an official from the Government of Southern Sudan office in Cairo told the local newspaper Sudan Tribune,that “if the Egypt Air flight to Juba is intended to insult South Sudanese and to humiliate them, please stop Egypt Air flights to Juba! As prior to initiating Egypt Air flight to Juba, Southerners are using Ethiopian Airlines, and they were never insulted and humiliated.

“Egypt Air has to stop their mentality of mistreatment and harassment towards South Sudanese black people if they really wanted good relationship with South Sudan, or otherwise there is no need for Egypt Air to schedule its flights to Juba as this date. And I urge our fellow South Sudanese brothers and sisters in Europe and USA to avoid travelling to Juba through Egypt, but via Kenya or Uganda to avoid Egyptian humiliation and harassment.”