“There are a lot of Syrian refugees in Egypt now. Many are professional people, but more are poor people who have struggled to get here and now find themselves on the fringes of a society that is going through its own traumas, though not as violently as where they came from. You see them begging at the roadsides and trying to sell cheap goods to drivers as they sit in traffic jams or in the queues at the toll stations on the main roads.
“The situation in Egypt is far from settled, although the worst trouble is confined to Fayyum, Minya and Assiut governorates. The situation in places like Delga is not being reported now as the security crack down has also included a news blackout. Everything remains quiet and peaceful around where we live and although the traffic is a constant hazard, the drive to work and the area around the office are safe.”