Government working to help Cypriots stuck in Tanzania
A total of 22 people from Cyprus are currently in Tanzania as the foreign ministry continues efforts to bring them home, its spokesman said on Saturday.
Of the 22, a total of 14 are students from a private school visiting Tanzania as part of a volunteer programme. Although they are currently known to be around 300km from the troubles in Dar es Salaam.
The students were accompanied by four adults, including two supervisors and two volunteers from Greece. The remaining four Cypriots are in Tanzania for other personal reasons.
Since the situation emerged, the crisis management centre of the ministry has been activated, spokesman Theodoros Gotsis said.
It is working closely with the high commission in Nairobi, which also covers Tanzania, to maintain communication with those affected. Gotsis said the authorities are also in contact with the families of the students and other Cypriots.
“At the moment, there are no flights available. The priority is their safety. They will return as soon as it is safe,” he said.
On Friday the foreign ministry warned Cypriot citizens to exercise caution in travelling to Tanzania due to ongoing unrest.
It urged anyone there to contact the numbers provided in the travel advisory the high commission in Kenya on +254 111051430 or hcnairobi@mfa.gov.cy and hcnairobiconsular@mfa.gov.cy. The contact in Cyprus is +357 22 651113 or +357 22 801000 or +357 97 775998. Citizens are encouraged to register with the online platform Connect2CY to stay connected while abroad.