A Nepali was killed in an Iranian drone attack in the UAE on February 17, and 15 Nepalis have been injured since then. The number of Nepalis who have registered their names saying they are unsafe has reached 5,000.
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As the war between the US, Israel and Iran intensifies, security concerns for Nepali workers in West Asia have increased. A Nepali was killed in a drone attack by Iran in the UAE on 17 February, and 15 Nepalis have been injured since then.
As the US continues to escalate its attacks on Iran, Iran has also intensified missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. These countries are major destinations for Nepali workers. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that 15 people were injured in the UAE, their details have not been made public.
‘15 people have been slightly injured. Most have been discharged from the hospital after receiving basic treatment,’ said Ramkaji Khadka, head of the West Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ‘Most of the injured were transit passengers at the UAE airport. They have all reached their destinations.’
Two of the injured Nepali workers have returned to their camp after receiving basic treatment, according to the Nepali Embassy in the UAE. Nepali embassies have reported that the number of Nepalis working in 10 countries directly affected by the US-Iran war is 1.7 million 288 thousand. Of these, 65,285 Nepalis have filled out the online form of the Consular Department as of Wednesday.
The Consular Department has created an online registration mechanism to identify the situation of Nepalis and to provide priority rescue and necessary facilitation based on the situation. So far, 5,000 people have registered online saying that they are unsafe.
‘We have put the safe and unsafe in the online form to monitor the situation. Of that, 5,000 have been declared unsafe,’ said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri. ‘Those who have informed us that they are unsafe, work is underway to identify their situation through the embassies of the relevant countries.’ Girendra Gurung from Lamjung, who works at the WAPCO project, a large oil field in Bahrain, said that it is difficult to predict when what will happen.
He felt that this war was happening in the sky rather than on the ground. So far, six people, including a Nepali, have died in the UAE. ‘With the continuous missile and drone attacks, the risk continues to increase,’ said Sunil Tamang, who works in Dubai. ‘Looking at the UAE’s destabilizing system, it seems safe. But there is no way to be sure that it is completely safe.’
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that about 40 percent of the Iranian attacks are focused on energy infrastructure. ‘35 percent of the attacks are targeting military structures. The remaining 25 percent of the attacks are targeting civilian housing,’ he told local media. ‘Even drinking water tanks have been targeted. What do they want to achieve by attacking these structures?’ These structures are staffed by migrant workers, including Nepalis.
‘Until there is a threat, it seems like nothing has happened here. When a threat message comes on the mobile phone, then where should I go, what should I do,’ said Rizwan Ansari, a Nepali working in Qatar. ‘After a while, a loud noise comes from the sky. I am worried about where the missile fragments will fall and catch fire.'
No immediate rescue needed: Foreign Ministry Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that it is working to form an emergency response team to rescue Nepalis affected by the ongoing tension in West Asia. The ministry said that the team was formed under the chairmanship of Foreign Secretary Amrit Kumar Rai. It is said that it is working to conduct a daily analysis of the growing tension in West Asia and receive regular updates from the embassy.
Foreign Minister Balananda Sharma said that Nepali workers are not being targeted in the Gulf War. 'Even though the war is prolonging, our citizens are not being directly targeted,' he said, 'Iran's missiles are targeting the American base camp.' The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that there is no immediate need to rescue and bring back Nepali workers working in the Gulf region from a security perspective.
'According to our analysis so far, there is no immediate need to rescue and bring back,' Foreign Secretary Rai said at a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, 'No one should worry. Don't be upset.' Rai said that while Western countries have rescued their citizens only for special reasons, there has been no rescue from the countries that send workers. "Rescues have not started from countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka that send workers like us," he said. "If a rescue is necessary, the Nepal government is capable. If necessary, we will rescue them even if it means hiring a ship."
