Germany’s plan to evacuate travelers stranded in the Gulf has been criticised by opposition parties for being slow, limited and poorly communicated. Police have also issued warnings about fraudsters exploiting confused travellers trying to rebook flights.
Key points:
– Opposition MPs say Berlin’s response is too slow and too limited.
– The Greens say the Foreign Office was unprepared for the crisis.
– The Left Party says the policy is creating uncertainty for those affected.
– Police warn scammers are using fake rebooking hotlines and paid search ads.
Scam warnings
Authorities report fraudsters are buying paid search ads that steer travellers to bogus service numbers posing as airlines or booking platforms. A woman in Lower Bavaria lost €2,500 after using one such fraudulent number.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office advises travellers to use hotline numbers only from an airline’s or booking platform’s official website and to make changes via a personal customer account. People should ignore unfamiliar callback numbers or support links in cancellation notices and never grant remote access to a phone or computer. If remote access is requested, end the call, disconnect from the internet and contact your bank immediately.
Opposition criticism
Cansu Özdemir, the Left Party’s foreign policy spokesperson, said official crisis communication was inadequate and that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s initial statement — that only older people, children, the sick and pregnant women would be evacuated first — “creates further uncertainty.” She urged the government to quickly publish clear plans for evacuating all roughly 30,000 Germans believed to be affected.
Green foreign affairs spokeswoman Luise Amtsberg called the government’s measures insufficient and too late, saying the recent escalation in the Middle East had been foreseeable and that the federal government appears unprepared and overwhelmed. She criticised the decision to announce evacuations for only vulnerable groups three days after the outbreak.
Government measures
Foreign Minister Wadephul announced plans to dispatch charter flights to Saudi Arabia and Oman and to send crisis support teams to Muscat, Doha and Dubai. The Foreign Office says initial repatriation efforts will prioritise particularly vulnerable people: the sick, children and pregnant women.
Background
Tens of thousands of travellers from several countries, including Germans, have been affected by the escalation in the Gulf region. Opposition parties are pressing the government for faster, clearer and more comprehensive evacuation plans while authorities urge vigilance against scammers exploiting the situation.