Three UW students studying abroad have been evacuated from the American University in Cairo in wake of the political protests that have enveloped the country since they began Jan. 25, while two are still on their way out of the country and one has chosen to stay.
The UW Office of Global Affairs warned student travelers in the Cairo exchange program to leave the country, per the warning by the U.S. State Department for U.S. citizens to leave. Though three have been evacuated, two Monday and one yesterday, the UW is still working to extricate one student, while the other student has made his or her own plans.
There is also a sixth student from the UW on a fellowship in Egypt, UW Office of Global Affairs travel security and information manager Brent Barker said. Though the student is currently not enrolled at the university, the Office of Global Affairs is providing him with the same information and recommendations as have been provided to enrolled students in Egypt.
A government-charted aircraft took the three students already evacuated to Istanbul, and Barker said theUW is currently "working to find other options for them to continue study abroad in the Middle East."
There is no timeline for when the other student the UW is helping leave Egypt will depart, and Barker said the process is being held up by more than 2,400 other U.S. citizens looking to depart the country from theU.S. Embassy. As of Tuesday, more than 1,200 citizens had departed the country, according to the State Department.
Barker said the office has currently put the Cairo exchange program on hold "until the situation stabilizes, at a minimum, probably until the State Department has canceled the travel warning."
The U.S. Department of State is evacuating citizens at no immediate cost, but is requiring they sign a document stating that they will pay the government back at a later time. Barker said he was not sure whether the UW would cover the cost of the student evacuations.
The Office of Global Affairs has launched an emergency page on its website with updates on the political situation in Egypt and its impact on UW students.
Reach News Editor William Dow at news@dailyuw.com.