Yellow notice issued for two Irish boys being held in Egypt

Interpol has posted a yellow notice for two Irish boys being held in Egypt by their father.

Mandy Kelly from Dundalk has not seen her sons for more than 1,000 days.

Despite a court order in Egypt that awarded her full custody of her sons in July, she is now travelling back to Cairo for another court hearing.

Ms Kelly's children, Zayn Mohamed, 6, and Kareem, 4, have been in Egypt with her ex-partner since 2022.

The judiciaries in the Republic of Ireland and Egypt have both ruled that Ms Kelly's children must be returned to her.

Egypt has not signed up to the Hague Convention on child protection, making the case more challenging for Irish authorities.

It has been raised with several Egyptian authorities by the Taoiseach (prime minister), Simon Harris, and Department of Foreign Affairs.

Last week, President Michael D Higgins wrote to Ms Kelly to confirm he had raised the matter with his Egyptian counterpart during his visit last week.

Ms Kelly said: "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."