‘We are still trapped’ cries Irish mum fighting to bring home kidnapped sons from Egypt in fresh desperate plea for help

A DESPERATE Louth mum has made a fresh plea to the Irish Government to help get her abducted children out of Egypt.

Mandy Kelly has told how she is trapped in a diplomatic and legal nightmare that is stopping her from bringing Zayn, eight, and five-year-old Kareem home.

The Dundalk mother has been granted custody of her boys by a Cairo court, but yet they can’t leave the Middle East country because of a travel ban granted by another court in the Arab state.

The children were abducted by their father when the family went on holiday to Egypt to see relatives in March, 2022.

He has since gone on the run with the kids and the custody order has yet to be enforced by the Egyptian police.

Later, it emerged the travel ban was granted to Mandy’s mother-in-law months before the family ever left Ireland for the trip.

It is understood the Egyptian authorities have told Irish diplomats if Mandy returns to Cairo they will ensure she will be reunited with her children.

But neither can assure that she will be allowed to leave the country with her boys because of the existing travel ban restriction.

Yesterday she said: “There is a flight path between Cairo and Dublin but my children, who are both Irish citizens and were born here, still have no lawful path home.

“My custody rights and legal status as their mother have been recognised in multiple Egyptian court proceedings and in Ireland where the High Court has ordered they be returned home. Yet my sons remain unable to return home.

“The question now is simple: what lawful pathway exists for two Irish citizen children to leave Egypt and return to Ireland?”

The Dundalk mother feels being given custody of her sons in Cairo does not mean they can leave the country.

She added: “If my children are handed to me in Egypt but are still unable to leave Egypt then we are not home.

“We are still trapped inside the same problem.”