Egypt Edition 
UAE Edition 
Saudi Edition 
MENA <> India Corridor 
Logistics (MENA) 
Climate (MENA) 
Share
The number of foreign residents in Egypt and the cost of their stay, were up for discussion on talk shows yesterday after Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated during the World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh that it costs Egypt USD 10 bn annually to host 9 mn “refugees,” according to government estimates.
Where does the USD 10 bn figure come from? The estimates are based on data from the government and the International Organization for Migration, which stated that Egypt had 9 mn foreign residents as of July 2022. The ministries of health, supply, education, and other government bodies have provided estimates of the cost of services provided to each non-Egyptian residents, which was used to create the estimate, cabinet spokesman Mohamed El Homsani said on Kelma Akhira, without clarifying which services the state subsidies for foreigners residing in Egypt (watch, runtime: 15:39).
“The international community must contribute to bearing even part of these burdens. What is already provided to the Egyptian state is insufficient, and it is necessary to provide additional support to confront these burdens,” El Homsani said.
“We understand how citizens may feel that they are crowded out by foreign residents or immigrants, and therefore we strive as much as possible to alleviate these burdens by obtaining more support,” El Homsani added.
“Egypt will not close its doors to any Arab or African brother whose country has faced difficulties,” El Homsani said, adding that Egypt holds obligations in accordance with international charters and agreements to take good care of immigrants. “There is a third dimension. Egypt has close relations with the international community — it must remember that there are Egyptian communities abroad… we as a country will face great difficulty if we deport foreigners and other countries treat us in the same way.”
Is Egypt prepared to take in Palestinians from the Rafah border? “In the event of mass displacement, we will provide the necessary humanitarian support in accordance with our humanitarian duties towards our Palestinian brothers, and we will not abandon them if they are forced to flee towards the Egyptian border,” Homsani said, mirroring earlier comments from the prime minister.
“There is no international body that recognizes the number of refugees that the government is talking about,” talk show host Amr Adib said on El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 28:18). Adib called on the government to “scrutinize” the definition of a refugee, resident, and migrant because international organizations concerned with refugees do not estimate the number of refugees in Egypt at more than 500-600k refugees.
