The Foreign Ministry in Nicosia confirmed on 12 November 2025 that it has activated its Crisis Management Centre after 22 people—mostly Cypriot nationals—were left stranded in Tanzania when a sudden curfew and violent unrest shut down commercial flights.
According to ministry spokesman Theodoros Gkotsis, the group includes 14 private-school pupils on a volunteer programme, four accompanying adults and another four Cypriots travelling independently. Officials are liaising with the Cypriot High Commission in Nairobi (which covers Tanzania) and with EU partners to identify a safe air-corridor once airports reopen. Until then, the travellers have been advised to remain indoors, avoid demonstrations and maintain regular contact with consular staff.
![Cyprus activates crisis unit to repatriate 22 citizens stranded in unrest-hit Tanzania]()
The ministry re-issued a travel advisory on Friday, warning Cypriot nationals to exercise “particular caution” in Tanzania and register on the Connect2CY platform before departure. Emergency hotlines in Nicosia and Nairobi have been circulated, and relatives in Cyprus are receiving twice-daily briefings.
While the number of Cypriot citizens abroad is relatively small, the government has upgraded its rapid-response capacity since the 2023 Sudan airlift and the 2024 Israel–Gaza evacuations. Companies that place staff in East Africa were reminded to review duty-of-care policies and ensure that employee tracking systems are up to date. Travel-risk consultants say that insurers may temporarily raise premiums for Tanzanian travel or introduce new exclusions linked to civil unrest.
For global mobility managers, the incident underscores the importance of real-time location monitoring and pre-trip registration—even for short volunteer placements—and highlights Cyprus’s willingness to coordinate multi-lateral evacuations through its expanding diplomatic network.
According to ministry spokesman Theodoros Gkotsis, the group includes 14 private-school pupils on a volunteer programme, four accompanying adults and another four Cypriots travelling independently. Officials are liaising with the Cypriot High Commission in Nairobi (which covers Tanzania) and with EU partners to identify a safe air-corridor once airports reopen. Until then, the travellers have been advised to remain indoors, avoid demonstrations and maintain regular contact with consular staff.
The ministry re-issued a travel advisory on Friday, warning Cypriot nationals to exercise “particular caution” in Tanzania and register on the Connect2CY platform before departure. Emergency hotlines in Nicosia and Nairobi have been circulated, and relatives in Cyprus are receiving twice-daily briefings.
While the number of Cypriot citizens abroad is relatively small, the government has upgraded its rapid-response capacity since the 2023 Sudan airlift and the 2024 Israel–Gaza evacuations. Companies that place staff in East Africa were reminded to review duty-of-care policies and ensure that employee tracking systems are up to date. Travel-risk consultants say that insurers may temporarily raise premiums for Tanzanian travel or introduce new exclusions linked to civil unrest.
For global mobility managers, the incident underscores the importance of real-time location monitoring and pre-trip registration—even for short volunteer placements—and highlights Cyprus’s willingness to coordinate multi-lateral evacuations through its expanding diplomatic network.
