US mourns killing of Sudanese refugees

Dec 30, 2005 (WASHINGTON) — The United States said it was “saddened” by the death of Sudanese refugees in violent clashes with Egyptian police in Cairo.

“We are saddened by the death of Sudanese in Cairo today and we extend our condolences to the families of the victims and our sympathies to those who are injured,” US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.

“Our embassy in Egypt has been in touch with the Egyptian authorities and other relevant agencies to gather information on the situation,” he added.

At least 10 Sudanese refugees were killed Friday when several thousand Egyptian riot police wielding sticks and water cannon forcibly broke up a protest outside UN offices in Cairo.

There are about 30,000 registered Sudanese refugees in Egypt but some estimates put the migrant population at two million.

A civil war in neighboring Sudan ended a year ago after 21 years of bloodshed. The conflict displaced some four million people and an ongoing war in the western region of Darfur has also forced scores to flee.

(AFP/ST)