{"id":20083294,"date":"2024-04-28T22:16:41","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T20:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20083294"},"modified":"2024-05-05T20:05:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-05T18:05:30","slug":"report-inside-egypts-secret-scheme-to-detain-and-deport-thousands-of-sudanese-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/report-inside-egypts-secret-scheme-to-detain-and-deport-thousands-of-sudanese-refugees","title":{"rendered":"Report: Inside Egypt\u2019s secret scheme to detain and deport thousands of Sudanese refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Report by Sara Creta and Nor Khalil, edited by Philip Kleinfeld<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report was originally published by The New Humanitarian<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of Sudanese refugees who escaped to neighbouring Egypt have been detained by Egyptian authorities in a network of secret military bases, and then deported back to their war-torn country often without the chance to claim asylum, an investigation* by The New Humanitarian<\/em> and the Refugees Platform in Egypt has found.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pushbacks uncovered by reporters contravene refugee conventions that Egypt has ratified, and are being carried out as the EU has pledged billions of dollars to Cairo in exchange for the government curtailing migration to Europe, a deal that critics say could make European countries complicit in the abuses taking place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pushbacks are also being enforced amid a worsening of the year-long war between the Sudanese army and its former ally, the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting is expanding into new parts of the country, leaving tens of thousands of people dead, and triggering warnings of a looming famine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI pleaded with the soldiers, explaining that my mother was gravely ill and urgently needed medical attention, but they refused to help us,\u201d said 25-year-old Hassan, who was deported from Egypt in February after being kept in a squalid military camp with his 68-year-old mother, who has a heart condition, and his cousin, who has cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a glance: Egyptian abuses against Sudanese refugees (read more<\/em>)<\/strong><\/summary>\n
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  • Egyptian authorities are conducting mass deportations of Sudanese refugees fleeing a war zone and one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian emergencies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Children, elderly people, and refugees who suffered serious injuries during their journeys into Egypt are among those deported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Some refugees said they had been shot at by Egyptian border guards and that their smugglers had been tortured.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Refugees detained in military-controlled areas are being rapidly deported by border guard forces without any legal process. Other refugees are being detained and accused of spurious offences, including smuggling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Refugees are being kept in a network of secret military bases that lawyers said have no legal mandate to detain people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Refugees said they face dire humanitarian conditions inside the military bases, and have no access to lawyers or UNHCR workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hassan, who asked for his name to be changed, like all of the Sudanese refugees quoted in this story, said he escaped the capital city, Khartoum, earlier in the year after his house was invaded and his brother was killed by RSF fighters. Following his deportation, he said he was \u201cunsure if there is still a home awaiting\u201d him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sudan\u2019s conflict has created one of the world\u2019s largest displacement crises, with nearly nine million people uprooted over the past year. Two million people have fled to neighbouring states, including more than half a million who have crossed into Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Egyptian authorities have taken various measures to restrict Sudanese from entering legally, despite an agreement guaranteeing freedom of movement between the countries. Most refugees are now forced to use smugglers to enter, even as they risk being detained for irregular entry or injured in dangerous mountain passages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The UN\u2019s refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Global Detention Project have both documented pushbacks, yet reporters from The New Humanitarian and the Refugees Platform are the first to comprehensively investigate how the deportation system is operating, the facilities being used for detention, and how refugees are mistreated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over six months, reporters spoke to 15 deported refugees and interviewed Egyptian lawyers, government officials, and local rights organisations. Reporters also obtained internal police, military, and public prosecutor records, and used photographs, videos, and satellite images to confirm the presence of half a dozen military bases whose locations are mostly unknown and which are being used as detention centres without legal approvals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The interviews and documents reveal a systematic, nationwide effort to deny Sudanese refugees the right to claim asylum. The campaign involves multiple components of the Egyptian security apparatus as well as other agencies of the government, which had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some refugees told reporters that Egyptian border guard forces had shot at them in desert areas, and then detained and deported them without any legal process. Others said they were rounded up in towns and cities and accused by security authorities of spurious offences, including smuggling, being part of a criminal smuggling group, or \u201ccausing serious harm\u201d to Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Refugees and lawyers said children, elderly people, and individuals who had suffered serious injuries during their journeys into the country were among those deported, as were Sudanese who had registered with UNHCR. In one case, a lawyer described an individual who was deported despite having refugee status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The military bases that reporters geolocated include places where Egyptian rights defenders and critics have died or been disappeared in the past by security agencies. Refugees described facilities with rodent infestations and overflowing sewage. One refugee said they were detained for 70 days in a base and allowed out just once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cAll of the prisoners\u2019 mental states were severely affected,\u201d said 31-year-old Mahmoud, who was detained on a Cairo-bound bus earlier this year having escaped fighting in Khartoum. \u201cFor some, the prospect of deportation to a country at war was better than remaining in such dire circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dangerous journeys and mass deportations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Egypt shares deep historical ties with Sudan and has long been home to millions of Sudanese migrants. The government has taken the side of the army in the current conflict, yet refugees have faced growing hostility by Egyptian politicians and members of the public amid a deepening economic crisis in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Entry restrictions for Sudanese have been tightened over the past year. Initially, men between 16 and 50 were prevented from entering unless they had a visa issued by Egyptian consulates in Sudan. This policy was then extended to cover all Sudanese citizens, most of whom turned to smugglers due to long visa processing times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Smugglers take refugees through the desert, on a long, bumpy trip that crosses mountains, rocky outcroppings, and military checkpoints. Refugees are packed by smugglers onto the back of pick-up trucks, having to cling onto ropes to avoid falling out and use surgical masks to keep out the choking dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Travel agents and fast-track visas (read more<\/em>)<\/strong><\/summary>\n
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    • For refugees who don\u2019t want to chance the smuggling routes or wait several months for a visa and security clearance, a network of travel agents and facilitators based in Egypt and Sudan provides expedited visa services for a hefty fee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Reporters spoke to eight Sudanese who had dealt with these brokers. Two had successfully left Sudan by paying $4,500, while three said they had been scammed by the agents. Others said they were still in Sudan seeking loans from friends and family to afford the fee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Some brokers openly advertise their services in online agencies and in social media groups. Reporters contacted listed numbers and were given quotes, with one agency offering a visa for $2,800. The broker said the processing time would range from seven to 15 days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

      It is unclear how many refugees have been detained and deported for irregular entry over the past year, though the Global Detention Project and UNHCR have recorded or reported on thousands of cases between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In addition to the 15 deported refugees who spoke to The New Humanitarian and the Refugees Platform, reporters were able to confirm two dozen more cases through interviews with the relatives and friends of deported refugees, and another 44 cases through a database shared by a lawyer from the Egyptian Commision for Rights and Freedom, a civil society group that monitors human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reporters also obtained internal police, military, and public prosecutor files on nearly 200 other refugees who were detained by authorities. One file described the detention of 16 people, including a one-year-old child; another detailed the detention of 14 people, including a girl aged 10. Most detentions targeted Sudanese citizens and Egyptian drivers, though one case involved six people from South Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The majority of the cases investigated by reporters involved refugees detained in southern Egypt, either shortly after crossing the border or after arriving in the first main towns in the south. However, reporters also spoke to the relatives of several refugees who were detained while conducting their daily business in the northern cities of Cairo and Alexandria and later deported, suggesting the crackdown is nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThis feeling is looming over us,\u201d said 34-year-old Ahmed, who entered Egypt irregularly in December and has been staying in Cairo for the past five months. \u201cI rarely get out of the house. I only make short trips to get food and then return promptly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Refugees said authorities carried out mass deportations, with buses taking hundreds of people to border crossings. Three said border guards or aid workers gave them bags of food, drinks, and hygiene supplies. The bags had printed logos of the World Food Programme and USAID, according to pictures shared with reporters. Refugees also said the towns they were deported to lacked accommodation and basic services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cWhen they told us that we would be deported to Sudan, the children cried because the soldiers lied to them and they were afraid of returning in light of the war,\u201d said Nasifa, who was deported in late January. She described having an asthma attack while detained in a ramshackle military base and said soldiers did not bring her medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Arbitrary detentions and forced returns of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are common in Egypt, with previous campaigns by security forces also targeting citizens of Eritrea and South Sudan. Human rights groups say the crackdowns are hard to document because authorities do not publicly release detention and deportation data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The campaigns have been carried out while government and security forces have received support from European states. The support is motivated by Europe\u2019s desire to stem migration from the country, which is a transit route for individuals wanting to cross the Mediterranean, and is also producing a growing number of its own migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Experts said state abuses against refugees and migrants are likely to increase as a result of the new $8 billion EU funding package, which includes more than $200 million for migration control. The deal is part of a part of a broader EU approach of partnering with third countries \u2013 many with poor human rights records \u2013 to reduce migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThese agreements are unlikely to stem the flow [of migrants],\u201d said Hossam el-Hamalawy, an Egyptian journalist and scholar who researches the country\u2019s military and security services. \u201cInstead, they may exacerbate casualties and further empower the already dominant military, which lies at the root of many issues in Egypt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Reporters contacted the EU\u2019s external affairs spokesperson on 24 April, asking for comment on the findings of the investigation and whether it would impact the new partnership with Egypt, but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Torture, car chases, and rapid returns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The refugees detained in southern Egypt are handled differently depending on whether they are intercepted close to the border or held in towns and cities, according to witness testimonies, interviews with lawyers and government officials, and internal military, police, and public prosecutor documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Refugees are especially vulnerable to abuse if they are intercepted near border areas, which are under military jurisdiction across Egypt. The areas are patrolled by border guard forces, which are a key part of the Egyptian military. Access, including for humanitarian and human rights groups, requires permits from military authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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