Egypt planning on deporting Darfur refugees: rebels

July 16, 2008 (PARIS) — A rebel group accused Egypt of planning to sanction Darfur refugees who try to cross to Israel by persecuting them or handing them over to Sudanese authorities exposing them to great risks.

In recent months Egyptian authorities intensified repression and crackdown on African migrants who try sneak to Israel. Sixteen migrants have been killed at the border this year and up to 1,000 Eritrean asylum seekers have been deported since June 11 despite U.N. protests.

Hussein Salah, the Sudan Liberation Movement Chief Humanitarian Coordinator, expressed concerns in a statement received by Sudan Tribune over the situation of Darfuri refugees in Egypt. The rebel official said they received information that Egyptian authorities plan to prosecute the arrested refugees or to hand them over to Sudanese authorities.

At an African Union summit in Egypt last week, the head of the U.N. refugee agency said his organisation was having talks with Egyptian authorities about the deportations.

Egypt has denied the UNHCR access to detained Eritreans since February, although the agency saw 140 of them following international pressure. UNHCR has asked Egypt for information on the location and fate of 1,400 Eritreans.

The SLM official warned that Cairo would violate refugee law, International humanitarian law, and human rights principles if it undertakes this move.

“Egyptian authorities should respect the international law not to send home anyone who could face torture or other serious forms of ill treatment.” Salah said.

He further urged the international community to pressurize Egypt over the case of the Darfuri in Egypt. He also blamed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for not leaving the fate of the Darfuri refugees between the hands of the Egyptian security that kill and deport refugees to their countries where they face torture and killing.

Last June Egypt sent back 600 Eritrean asylum seekers to their home country. Rights activists condemned the move while the UN officials expressed alarm at the massive expulsions and urged Egypt to stop deporting asylum seekers from Eritrea.

Following the 10 May raid carried by the rebel Justice and Equality Movement on the Sudanese capital, Egypt expelled Hafiz Youcif Hamoda, an adviser of the SLM leader Abdel Wahid al-Nur. He was suspected by the Egyptian authorities of playing a role in the sneaking operations into Israel.

(ST)