Naguib Sawiris, a telecommunications mogul, is the Egypt’s third richest man, and one of the founder of the Free Egyptians Party says that he wants to buy an island from Italy or Greece to house refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and other countries in the region. He owns Orascom TMT, which operates mobile networks across countries in the Middle East and Africa and serves as Egypt’s largest employer.  He has requested the two countries in twitter to sell an island to him so that he can temporarily build an island to help the refugees till they can afford to go back to their countries.

Syrian Civil War:

The Syrian Civil War, also known as the Syrian Revolution , is an ongoing armed conflict taking place in Syria. The unrest began in the early spring of 2011 within the context of Arab Spring protests, with nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s government, whose forces responded with violent crackdowns. The conflict gradually morphed from prominent protests to an armed rebellion after months of military sieges.

Naguib Sawiris Tweets:

As the war is ongoing,  and at least 12 people were killed when a boat carrying the refugees capsized before reaching the Greek island of Kos. Naguib Sawiris appeal comes after seeing the pictures of a three-year old boy lying dead on a Turkish beach  which spread viral in media. He said that if Greece or Italy sell the island he would accommodate the refugees and provide temporary shelter also they can leave back to their home when ever they are interested. More than 2,300 people have died at sea trying to reach Europe since January, many of them Syrians who fled their country’s ongoing civil war, while crossing the Mediterranean sea.

However, Sawiris is the 11th richest man in Africa and many critics have questioned his intent as they believe the Egyptian will use the island for his personal benefit to hide illegitimate funds and transactions.