Sudanese Refugees’ Situation in Egypt
By Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa
Oct 10, 2005 — Since the violent protest by Sudanese refugees and other refugee nationals at UNHCR Office in Cairo last year 2004 in which many people was wounded including Egyptian security Officers. Since then refugees were forbidden to UNHCR office, their cases being handled at lay-by at the Gamaat Dowal Arabia street some distant from the UNHCR office.
The last year’s protest was staged out according to the refugees because UNHCR Cairo Office stopped registering and giving out forms to Sudanese new arrival asylum seekers, those refugees who are resettled locally here in Egypt and those refugees whose files have been closed and according to the refugees it was also due to the humiliation of UNHCR Cairo office to the Sudanese refugees unlike their counterparts from other nationals.
As a result a committee was formed from various Sudanese ethnic group Chiefs to coordinate and mediate between refugees and UNHCR office. But yet there was no dynamic changes in sorting out the actual problems confronting refugees, as local Chiefs were unable to bridge the gap between their folks and UNHCR.
Last week the situation erupted again and the Sudanese refugees staged at Gamaat Dowal Arabia Street “sit down protest” against what they called UNHCR Cairo Office’s injustice, humiliation and mistreatment of the Sudanese refugees. They are demanding to negotiate directly with the UNHCR Cairo Office Director face-to-face in order to voice their grievances, but since the starting of the sit down protest almost two weeks now, no UNHCR officials were seen at the scene or even tried to negotiate with the refugees. One of the refugees demand is that they do not want to return to Sudan, but they are demanding their repatriation to another country which would host them and resolve their problems.
Media has been kept away from interviewing or talking to the refugee sit down protesters. There are great numbers of Sudanese refugees including women, children, elderly and sick. And the number is increasing day and night and they bring all along with them their luggage. The situation is really very bad, some of them were weeping and some are falling sick at the scene and were taken to hospitals by refugees themselves. They rejected food supplies from the local authorities and are depending on their own pockets. And according to the refugees they will continue with their sit down protest until their demands were met.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Commissioner of Cairo Governorate are trying very hard to resolve the situation, as according to them they do not want to see this chaotic and horrific situation to continue. Both Cairo Commissioner and Officials from Egyptian Foreign Ministry met yesterday with Director of UNHCR Cairo office, but the outcome of the meeting was not disclosed. The Egyptian authorities are worried to see such situation continue and particularly as the scene was at the lay-by at the main Gamaat Dowal Arabia Street at Mohandessen which is a residential area for Egyptian elites and foreigners.
There are lots of Sudanese refugees here who are facing very grave problems and their problems look identical to each other with exception of few individuals.
Food Allowance
The offered monthly amount of LE 150 = US$ 26 to those accepted in UNHCR and holders of green cards is being given after every two months by Caritas and this according to them is not enough to sustain living conditions in great Cairo. Even those who have large family the same amount is being allocated, and in some exceptional cases maximum offered is LE 200 per month (US$ 35) and cashed every two months. Married couples without children have no food allowance as well as singles. According to the Sudanese refugee’s families here, they are facing also problem of children born here in Egypt, as to add them in the family card is another tedious task, as it takes months and months and some times a year for child’s name to reach Caritas from UNHCR office, and if added the child has no food allowance.
According to a Sudanese refugee lady, it is now more than one and half year her daughter’s name does not reach caritas yet, and she was complaining bitterly about the bureaucracies involved in handling process between UNHCR and Caritas. The adding of children to the family card does not constitute any financial benefit but just to allow admission to the schools. Thus most of the Sudanese refugees are worried about the future of their children as well as their own future.
Treatment
Treatment is another serious problem being faced by the Sudanese refugees here, as UNHCR/Caritas is paying 75% and a refugee pays 25% for treatment. They have specific government hospitals for the treatment of refugees. The sick person has to get a letter from Caritas prior going to the hospital even under very serious heath condition. According to refugees, one has to be early around as 5:00am at Caritas but yet sometimes you won’t get the letter if the fixed number per day is reached. And sometimes the concerned doctor was not there for one reason or another. If a refugee goes to any hospital or even to the designated UN hospital without permission from Caritas Doctor, he/she has to borne the entire treatment expenses. And this was one of the reasons most angered Sudanese refugees here to stage sit down protest as a sign of voicing out their grievances to the UNHCR authorities and world at large.
* Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa, Cairo – Egypt .
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