Egypt honours driver who died after averting fuel tanker disaster
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly mourned the driver, Khaled Mohamed Shawky, who died on Saturday from injuries sustained during the incident in 10th of Ramadan City, north of Cairo.
Last week, Shawky was inside his fuel tanker at a petrol station when the tank exploded due to high temperatures. He immediately got into the driver's seat and drove the burning vehicle away from the station and nearby residential areas. He succeeded in preventing a wider disaster but was severely injured when the truck was engulfed in flames.
In a statement, the prime minister's office expressed its condolences to the driver's family, describing Shawky as 'a symbol of sacrifice and quick thinking in a highly dangerous situation, which prevented many casualties and destruction, and saved many lives and properties.'
Madbouly has directed the ministers of petroleum and social solidarity to arrange a 'generous reward' and an 'exceptional pension' for the driver's family. 'The government, and the Egyptian people in general, appreciate these shining examples in society and are keen to elevate their status so that they may be a role model for others,' Madbouly said.
In a separate move, Alaa Abdellah, the head of the 10th of Ramadan City Development Authority, announced that a street in the city would be named after Shawky to honour his memory.
The Minister of Social Solidarity, Maya Morsi, also announced a payment of EGP 100,000 to the family and confirmed that an exceptional pension would be provided.
News of Shawky's death brought sadness to his hometown of Bani Ubaid in the northern Daqahliya province, where residents prepared for his funeral. Shawky was a father of three, and his family had been planning his son's wedding for the 19th of next month.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
22 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Combating illegal migration - Features - Al-Ahram Weekly
On 30 July, the Foreign Ministry announced that a boat had sunk off the coast of the Libyan city of Tobruk carrying Egyptian citizens. The Egyptian Consulate General in Benghazi dispatched a delegation to coordinate with the Libyan authorities for the transfer of the bodies to Egypt and to repatriate the survivors. Despite the fact that no illegal migration boats have left Egyptian shores since 2016 when Egypt announced zero boats leaving its coasts, some young men have left Egypt to cross the Mediterranean via neighbouring countries. Efforts are being made in Egypt to find safe alternatives for them after studying the main reasons behind illegal migration. According to a study issued by the State Information Service in 2022, there are several factors responsible for illegal immigration, including economic issues such as unemployment, low wages, and poor living standards, and social factors such as a lack of family ties. Overpopulation can also drive individuals to seek opportunities elsewhere. The state's efforts at the local level to combat illegal migration began with the launch of the first national strategy to combat it in 2016. Law 82/2016 fights illegal migration by imposing deterrent penalties criminalising all forms of migrant smuggling, along with combating the activities of institutions involved in this crime. It also established the National Co-coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP). Egypt participated in the Rome Declaration of the European Union-Horn of Africa Initiative to assist African countries in combating the causes of illegal migration in November 2014 and at the Valletta Summit in Malta on illegal migration in November 2015. In June 2016, Egypt chaired and hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh the second ministerial meeting of the African Union-Horn of Africa Initiative on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, and in March 2017 Egypt and Italy launched a joint initiative to train police officers from 22 African countries to combat illegal migration. The Ministry of Immigration has begun implementing the presidential Rescue Boats Initiative designed to raise awareness among the most vulnerable groups about the dangers of illegal migration and safe alternatives, according to a plan developed to include 14 governorates and those most prone to illegal migration. The plan also includes training and qualification programmes for the labour market and entrepreneurship, field visits, and door-to-door campaigns to raise awareness among families and minors. Egypt also hosted the First Regional Forum of National Coordinating Bodies to Combat Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in Africa in November 2019. The Ministry of Manpower has been providing opportunities for Egyptian young people to train and work in European countries. Furthermore, the government has been working on raising the awareness of young people about the dangerous outcomes of illegal migration through establishing partnerships with international organisations. RAISING AWARENESS: In 2007, the hovernment established NCCPIM&TIP, which aims at raising the awareness of vulnerable groups about illegal migration and building their capacities. It also aims at building a comprehensive legal framework to protect them and ensure their rights while confronting smugglers. Chairperson of the NCCPIM&TIP Naela Gabr told Al-Ahram Weekly that the organisation 'started in 2007 by first establishing a committee to look into trafficking in persons. We worked on preparing a draft law, Law 64 of 2010, on trafficking, and we had some partners working with us from different ministries.' 'At that time, the committee was under the umbrella of the Foreign Ministry, but I suggested that it be affiliated to the cabinet instead. In 2013, then prime minister Hazem Al-Biblawi advised the Foreign Ministry to establish a committee on combating illegal migration, and this started preparing a draft law on illegal migration, the first of its kind in the Middle East, namely Law 82/2016,' she said, adding that the law sanctions the smugglers, but not the smuggled migrants. Members of the committee are chosen according to their background and previous experience, preferably related to the field of justice and human rights including in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, or the Ministry of Manpower. Some of the smuggling is linked to money laundering, and this means the inclusion of representatives of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Unit and the Administrative Control Authority in the NCCPIM&TIP. The organisation is 'mandated to draft and amend laws and combat crimes,' Gabr said. 'We are mandated to organise awareness campaigns and to train all the concerned parties like those working in social services and for the ministries of justice and interior. We also train teachers, judges, and diplomats, both Egyptians and foreigners. We offer lectures in three languages, Arabic, French, and English.' They are also working with concerned regional and international organisations in terms of preparing studies, strategies, and action plans, she added. From 2017 to 2024, the NCCPIM&TIP trained 2,796 trainees from the law enforcement and justice authorities, 2,208 from the protection authorities, 1,689 from other national entities, and 2,230 from target groups including youth and their families. In 2016, two studies were prepared that led to the production of a map of Egypt that identified governorates and towns and cities associated with illegal migration such as Kafr Al-Sheikh, Fayoum, Assiut, Luxor, Minya, Beheira, Sharqiya, Daqahliya, Qalioubiya, Menoufiya, and Gharbiya. The NCCPIM&TIP organised media campaigns like 'Your Family... Your Dream… Your Life... No to Illegal Migration' in 2017, which aimed to raise awareness about illegal migration, and another campaign in 2018 called 'Aware of Migrants… Spread the Word… Save a Life.' In 2021, it produced documentary films in partnership with different Ministries. A documentary was filmed in the same year by the Egyptian national handball team and influencers to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal migration. In 2022, the NCCPIM&TIP launched a campaign, 'Your Life is Worth It, Don't Give it Up Easily,' and another documentary about Egyptian migrants returning from abroad. In 2023, it started the current campaign, 'Your Decision will Choose Your Story,' aiming to raise the awareness of youth about illegal migration and safe alternatives. 'There was another campaign with Egyptian football player Hamada Emam, in addition to our latest campaign. 'Your Decision will Choose Your Story' is my favourite, as it is to the point and draws a clear contrast between two scenarios,' Gabr said. She added that they have led other campaigns raising the awareness of young people about exploitation and forms of human-trafficking like contractual marriages and forced labour as well as trafficking in human organs. The NCCPIM&TIP has also launched anti-trafficking in persons media campaigns like 'Facts' on social media (2018), 'Together Against Trafficking in Persons' (2019-2023), which featured documentaries, radio and television announcements, and text messages, and the 'Your Life has Value' campaign (2020). It produced a commemorative LE5 coin with the slogan 'Together Against Trafficking in Persons' in 2022, a visual media campaign in 2023, and a cartoon film. 'My audiences are all Egyptians, both young and old. They are mainly made up of young people between the ages of 18 and 34, but it is not sufficient to speak with them alone. We also need to speak with their families who provide them with money and support as well as their teachers,' Gabr said. OUTREACH: In December 2024, the NCCPIM&TIP launched a youth conference on illegal migration to raise awareness and identify safe alternatives to migrating illegally. In collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration and the Ministry of Education, it initiated six art competitions for school students, a research competition for Cairo University's Faculty of Economics and Political Science, and the first youth chess championship to combat illegal migration. Since 2015, it has also organised the annual 'Buy Egyptian Art' exhibition to help young people market their handmade products. 'This year our competitions were in technical schools, where students were asked to express themselves through art or music,' Gabr said, adding that she visited all the Egyptian governorates with a special focus on Minya. Apart from the lectures, Gabr says that the best way to address young people is through the stories of successful young men and women. 'Every time I visit other governorates, I present success stories to inspire young people. They tell the attendees about what they do to earn a living. I also have representatives of funds like the Micro Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Fund tell young people how they could support them as well as members of the National Council for Women [NCW] because giving housewives financial support is also part of the solution,' she said. 'If women have a status in the family, they can protect and advise their children and prevent them from illegally immigrating,' she says, adding that the NCW also teaches them traditional handcrafts like talli, a form of traditional embroidery. According to Gabr, the National Referral Mechanism supports returnees (those returning from illegal migration) under Law 82/2016, providing them with technical know-how on how to facilitate their return to society and to enable them to work. 'It is a mechanism to empower the detected victims of trafficking, and we are in the process of establishing a similar one for smuggled migrants. We provide the victims with support and have shelters for them. It is formed from members from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the victims are coming from abroad, social solidarity staff dealing with shelters, the NCCPIM&TIP, and the Ministry of Health since the victims usually need health providers, both physical and mental,' she explained. 'But I need more support and attention from the media. We also need more support from the business community in terms of providing jobs for the vulnerable,' Gabr said, adding that they are helping them by leading them to job opportunities and to find jobs. 'We also need to prepare a campaign on new forms of exploitation via social media,' she added. 'My vision is to continue offering support from the government and the international community, agencies, and donors as they play a very important role in helping the country give an example to be followed in combating illegal migration on the legislative or the practical level or the level of studies.' 'This is the best way of protecting European countries from illegal migration. But we need support from these countries in terms of providing jobs for Egyptian youth through development projects in Egypt and facilitating legal migration,' Gabr said. Mohamed Tharwat from Sharqiya had been considering leaving the country until he joined the Multi-Educational Programme for Employment Promotion in Migration-Affected Areas (MEPEP), which has changed his life. He is now the owner of a car-maintenance centre in Egypt. 'I had always wanted to travel to Italy in any way possible, and I was saving for the opportunity. I had no idea what field I was going to work in at the time. At the same time, I was afraid to migrate illegally because I was afraid that I would not survive,' Tharwat said. 'I have a passion for cars, but I did not know how to start or who would teach me if I wanted to work with cars instead. Then I found an advertisement on the Internet and I filled in an application. After a month I received a call informing me that I had been accepted at the Istituto Salesiano Don Bosco, an Italian institute. I joined the car-maintenance training course and learnt a lot about fixing cars. I then used the money I had saved for migration to launch my own project, a car-maintenance centre,' he said. MEPEP is a programme that has been working on both raising awareness and providing training and job opportunities for youth in vulnerable areas. It is a programme that was funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) and was intended to address the root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa. It was also funded and implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). It has been working with the Egyptian government represented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Education and Technical Education. MEPEP aims at addressing the root causes of illegal migration by fostering a more inclusive social and economic environment through improving Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Egypt. EU-MEPEP focuses on curricula enhancement, modern teaching methodologies, skills acquisition for students and building sustainable employment pathways, bridging the gap between education and the labour market. 'MEPEP is part of the 16 million Euro bilateral programmes with Egypt under the EUTF, the EU's programme that supports Egypt's 2030 Vision for sustainable growth and social inclusion,' said head of section for governance, social inclusion, and migration at the European Union Delegation in Egypt Anne Kofoed. 'It is a vision that addresses the creation of opportunities for youth in migration-affected areas. It is also a vision addressing the drivers of irregular migration through stable socio-economic development.' Kofoed said that the success of such projects lies in their ability to address skill gaps through individual and international efforts to modernise TVET. 'As we look to the future, we need to build on these successful efforts. Let us strive to build opportunities to empower individuals, support sustainable development, and address the root causes of migration and also to strengthen the TVET sector here in Egypt,' she said. 'The project was a real start to develop a sustainable partnership in developing vocational and technical education that matches the goals of the Ministry of Industry to improve the quality of technical and professional skills of workers. It has resulted in the development of the quality of vocational education, as well as catering to the needs of the labour market through developing educational syllabuses and presenting youth with modern skills, providing more job opportunities and enhancing co-operation with parties in the private sector and developing infrastructure,' said Director of TVET at the Ministry of Industry Ehab Abdallah. 'This initiative aimed at preparing well-qualified managers ready for the labour market and a generation of young people able to excel whether in Egypt or abroad. It provides training opportunities in many factories as well as applied technology schools,' commented Director of Government Relations at the Federation of Egyptian Industries Gehad Amer. 'We aim at improving the quality of training and education in industry and to enhance the abilities of our young people so that they are ready for the labour market,' Amer said, adding that 'I hope future projects will also focus on empowering women in the workplace.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 7 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
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