Kenya begins evacuation of citizens from Iran as fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire takes hold
The first group of evacuees from Iran arrived in Nairobi on Sunday morning and was received by government officials at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
As tensions ease following a fragile US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel, Kenya has begun evacuating its citizens from the region.
The first group of evacuees from Iran arrived in Nairobi on Sunday morning and was received by government officials at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, according to Roseline Njogu, Principal Secretary at the State Department for Diaspora Affairs.
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"Grateful for the multiagency team here in Nairobi working tirelessly to get our nationals home, and especially grateful to our Embassy teams in Tehran and Ankara," Njogu posted on X.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has confirmed that the evacuation process is still underway.
Earlier, the ministry issued an advisory urging Kenyans in both Israel and Iran to exercise "extreme caution," avoid non-essential travel, and adhere to instructions from local authorities, citing the deteriorating security situation.
The June 18 advisory came amid a surge in hostilities between the two regional adversaries, after Israeli airstrikes triggered a swift retaliatory missile response from Tehran.
The flare-up, which lasted nearly two weeks, heightened fears of a broader regional escalation and forced multiple countries to activate contingency plans for their nationals.
The 12-day conflict has since given way to a ceasefire, cautiously welcomed by the international community.
Brokered by Washington, the truce allows both Iran and Israel to halt further attacks, at least for now.
But with decades of enmity, shifting alliances, and simmering proxy conflicts, few expect the quiet to last.
For Kenya, the episode is a reminder of its growing diaspora footprint in volatile regions and the emerging responsibility to respond quickly in a multipolar world fraught with geopolitical risk.
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