Rights watchdog says concerned by situation of Sudanese refugees in Egypt

August 8, 2008 — Hundreds of cases of the Sudanese refugees seeking asylum in potential destinations are pending for years in Egypt without clear direction or decision by the UN Refugees Office in Cairo.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization – Cairo is deeply concerned since the pending cases of the refugees were severely lacking in employment and humanitarian support, which pushed several refugees to make risky attempts to cross the border, without legal permit, to find asylum in neighboring states – attempts punitively met by maximum security measures.

We urge the UN Refugee Office to ensure the human rights of the refugees and their families: The Office is mandated by legal and social jurisdiction to settle the pending cases, and to raise the awareness of those planning to leave the hosting land, throughout the time of refuge, to pursue asylum in conformity with refugee agreements and international law.

SHRO-Cairo is equally concerned over the occurrence of escalated violence among several juvenile refugees in Cairo. We urge all of the concerned parties to provide rehabilitative and social preventive programs to the youth in question to end this problem.

The Government of Sudan and the Government of South Sudan, in particular, are strongly urged to work hand-in-hand with the United Nations and the Egyptian authorities, as well as refugees’ communities and representative committees, to improve this appalling situation.

The Sudanese authorities are further responsible by both national and international obligations to ensure decent living conditions, free of security harassment, for all voluntary returnees at their homelands in the Sudan.