More than 200 Namibians are trapped in various Gulf States as a result of the war against Iran.
 
The Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, says about 184 Namibians worked for Qatar Airways, 30 are in the United Arab Emirates, and a few are in Bahrain, Oman, and Israel.
 
Ashipala-Musavyi says all efforts are made to ensure the return of all Namibians stranded there.

"The reason we know about them is because, following the attack on Iran, we directed our Embassy in Egypt to issue an advisory notice asking Namibians to get in touch. We are therefore in contact with them. They have organised themselves and appointed a lead person in each of those countries. This is a situation we are taking very seriously. We have created an inter-ministerial task force and are working with our neighbouring countries, some of which have thousands of people in the Gulf States, so that we can coordinate efforts to evacuate our people. We did the same during Covid-19. We worked very well together with Angola, Zambia, and South Africa, and we basically pooled resources to bring our people back home. The same approach is being taken now. We are in contact with them every day. They should remain calm and hold on, and we will continue to pray for their safety. It is also important to note that we are talking about three categories of people: those who live there, those who work there, and those who were unfortunately caught in the crossfire because they travelled there for vacation. We will do everything we can to ensure that we get them back home."