Skip to main content

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arresting Sudanese, Amnesty says

The alleged mass arrests and forced expulsions of Sudanese coincide with the raging war in Sudan, where fears of foreign interference are growing.

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan.
Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023, after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan. — Khaled DESOUKI

Egyptian authorities are carrying out mass arrests of Sudanese refugees who irregularly entered the country, detaining them in inhumane conditions and forcibly returning them to war-torn Sudan, a human rights report revealed on Wednesday.

Amnesty International said it documented 12 incidents between January and March of this year in which Egypt’s Border Guard Forces operating under the Ministry of Defense and police operating under the Ministry of Interior forcibly returned around 800 Sudanese nationals who were denied the possibility to claim asylum.

Authorities in Egypt “have carried out mass arbitrary arrests of Sudanese people and held women, men and children in cruel and inhuman conditions pending their forced return to Sudan,” the report said.

The Amnesty report, titled “‘Handcuffed like dangerous criminals:’ Arbitrary detention and forced returns of Sudanese refugees in Egypt,” said officers in plain clothes have been conducting mass arrests targeting Black people and Sudanese who don’t have valid residency or visas, mostly in the neighborhoods of Cairo and Giza, which host a large number of Sudanese, and in the southern governorate of Aswan bordering Sudan.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

Access 1 free article per month when you sign up. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in

Related Topics