The heartbroken mother of two Irish kids abducted by their Egyptian father is spending Christmas Day in Cairo hoping she will see them soon.
Mandy Kelly has been promised by the President of Egypt, Abdel Fatteh El-Sisi that she will be reunited with her sons shortly after he vowed to get involved in the case. The President was personally lobbied and briefed about the missing boys Zayn,6, and Kareem,4, by the Taoiseach Simon Harris and President Michael D Higgins during his visit to Ireland a few weeks ago.
He gave both assurances he would do everything in his power to get the children back and reunited them with the mother. The Egyptian courts have already awarded custody to Mandy Kelly . But she is waiting on the police to implement the court order and believes they know where her sons are located.
Mandy from Dundalk, Co Louth, has not seen her sons for over two years after they were abducted by her estranged husband while on a family holiday to Egypt in March,2022. Mandy said:" I am back in Cairo for yet another court hearing but I am hoping and praying that this ordeal will end shortly.
"I am spending another Christmas Day without seeing my boys and it breaks my heart.
" They are gone now for over 1,000 days and I don't even have a new photograph of them. I have not spoken to them during all that time.
" We are winning the battle in the Egyptian courts and I know everything diplomatically is being done.
" I can't thank both the Taoiseach and President for raising my case with the Egyptian President on his recent visit to Ireland.
" He told them he will use all his power and influence to help me get my children back and hopefully it will happen very soon."
The battling mother got good news on Christmas Eve when Interpol issued a Yellow Notice Alert for her two sons.
This means they are listed as missing by Interpol and Egypt must find them and return them to her .
There is also an arrest warrant issued for the boy's father who took them in the first place
Mandy added; " My case is every parent's worst nightmare. There is uge frustration that my two sons are not in my care.
" Obviously as a parent I am very concerned about their welfare. Are they going to school? Is Kareem being properly looked after? There are multiple questions that I still have.
" It is still so tough. This is my fifth trip over and it doesn't get easier, it hurts me deeply having to leave without my kids but there will be a day when my two children will be with me and we will all leave together.
" I just want to be able to hug my two children in the mornings, put their uniform on, take them to school and cook them dinner, just normal things that people take for granted."
Her plight has not been helped by the fact that Egypt is not signed up to the Hague Convention on child protection but she is still hopeful and optimistic she will see her boys very soon.
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