Six Sudanese have died in Egyptian custody in six weeks, says refugee group

Rashid Mohamed Abbas, a Sudanese resident in Egypt, died on Monday following his detention by Egyptian authorities. His death marks the sixth recorded case of a Sudanese national dying in Egyptian custody in the past 45 days.

Abbas, who leaves behind a child under the age of two, allegedly died as a result of torture sustained while in detention, according to a relative’s post on social media. However, his family remains unsure of the exact location of his passing.

Nour Khalil, a human rights activist and director of the Refugee Platform in Egypt (RPE), stated on social media that Egyptian authorities detained Rashid Abbas despite his possessing valid identification documents. Khalil noted that Abbas was held for two weeks without an arrest warrant, formal charges, or access to legal counsel.

“Rashid was not suffering from any illness before his arrest,” Khalil said. “He was not informed of the reason for his detention and was unable to contact his family or lawyer.”

Conflicting accounts

The circumstances surrounding Abbas’ final moments remain unclear.

Some sources said that Rashid died inside a deportation vehicle that was transporting him to Cairo International Airport, in preparation for his deportation to Sudan via a Badr Airlines flight, as part of the flights operated by Sudanese businessmen under the name “Voluntary Return Group,” which is dedicated to deporting Sudanese detainees in Egypt.

The Hope Committee for the Voluntary Return of Sudanese, led by Mohamed Wadah, claimed that Abbas died of “sudden natural causes” on Monday morning at the airport. According to Wadah, Abbas was undergoing final procedures for a “voluntary return” flight to Port Sudan when he collapsed.

However, the Sudanese Democratic Lawyers Front has vehemently rejected this narrative, describing the death as an “assassination” by Egyptian authorities. In a statement seen by Radio Dabanga, the group alleged that Abbas was subjected to “continuous torture” since his arrest in early March.

The Front further accused the Voluntary Return Committee of “collusion” and “false testimony,” claiming the committee is attempting to cover up state violence. The lawyers confirmed that Abbas’ family has refused to receive his body, demanding an independent medical report to clarify the true cause of death.

Six deaths in 45 days

Nour Khalil of the RPE has called on the Egyptian Public Prosecutor to launch an immediate investigation into the deaths of Abbas and five other Sudanese nationals who died in custody over the last month and a half.

There are no natural deaths in prisons and detention centres, and there is no voluntary retum when the alternative is imprisonment in deadly conditions,” Khalil stated.

The Lawyers Front also highlighted that dozens of Sudanese remain in Egyptian prisons without legal justification, denied the right to see their families or exercise their basic human rights.

Legal obligations

The Front reminded the Egyptian government of its obligations under international law, specifically the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1984 Convention against Torture, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

As of time of writing, neither the Egyptian Ministry of Interior nor the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Egypt has issued a comment regarding the incident.

Conditions for Sudanese refugees in Egypt have deteriorated significantly since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023. At the start of this year, legal experts warned of a renewed wave of deportations and mass arrests targeting Sudanese nationals in Egypt. An Egyptian refugee support group told Radio Dabanga in February it records an average of five to 10 arrests of Sudanese refugees and migrants every day, with reports of perilous conditions for detainees.