An Irish mother whose children were abducted by their father in Egypt nearly three years ago hopes her case will be discussed during Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's visit to Ireland this week.
Mr el-Sisi will meet President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Simon Harris on Wednesday.
Mandy Kelly from Dundalk in Co Louth was on holiday in Egypt in 2022 when her husband Ramy Gamal Maamoun Mohamed locked her in an apartment and took the children away in a car.
Three-year-old Kareem and his five-year-old brother Zayn Mohammed were both born in Ireland and have had no contact with their mother since June 2022, three months after they were kidnapped.
Both the High Court of Ireland and the family courts of Egypt have awarded Ms Kelly custody.
Speaking to BreakingNews.ie, Ms Kelly revealed an Interpol yellow notice for missing persons has been issued for her sons, but she is calling for an Interpol red notice to be issued for her ex-husband.
Ms Kelly has been home for two weeks after her latest trip to Egypt to engage with officials. She praised Ambassador to Egypt Nuala O’Brien and the Egyptian judiciary for their help.
Ms Kelly, who recently met the Taoiseach, shared an email from Simon Harris in which he pledged to continue helping with her case, adding that an Interpol notice is not something he can influence.
Ms Kelly said: "The Egyptian president is visiting Ireland tomorrow, I'm hoping it comes up with either Simon Harris or Michael D Higgins.
"I've met with Micheál Martin, Simon Harris, the Ceann Comhairle [Seán Ó Fearghaíl] on a number of occasions, Helen McEntee, I've done everything I can with regards to this case. I'm not giving up.
"The Egpytian government have been fair to me in awarding me custody.
"The big thing is the judiciary in Ireland, where he had participated in proceedings, ruled that my children were unlawfully removed from the Irish State. I have new Irish passports for my children, an Egyptian custody order saying my children should be in my care, and he's moving from place to place.
"It's incredibly scary as a parent to be in the position I'm in."
She added: "The first thing I said to Simon Harris was, 'I never wanted things to get to this level'. But I was very sure it would, even when I came back to Ireland on March 16th, 2022 I knew with what I was dealing with, this would be the only way aroud it.
"Everyday is a nightmare, it's always one step forward and 10 back."
Ms Kelly has spent thousands of euro on legal fees, while she has been over and back to Egypt four times this year while also holding down a job.
"The trips are so difficult. Having to leave the runway in Cairo Airport without my boys is horrific... it's like going back to March 16th, 2022, it's like flashbacks. Knowing I have to leave without my children is just horrible.
"I spent five weeks in Cairo over the summer, it was nearly 50 degrees, a lot of the officials I had to deal with weren't working to full capacity because of the hot weather.
"I'm here on day 1,000 without even a picture of my children. These are innocent children."
