Refugees’ calamity, how it will reshape Egyptian Sudanese relationship?
Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa*
Jan 7, 2006 — The relationship between Egypt and Sudan as it used to be described is a historic, special and bond by the Nile River (Nile Valley Sons). After Addis Ababa agreement in 1972 Egypt offered Southern students places in various universities and institutions which was a good gesture from Egyptian authority, and Southerners are still holding a gratitude and appreciation to the Egyptian government. All Sudanese appreciate the Egypt’s stand in hosting great number of Sudanese whom flew from cruelty of war. We can’t forget the stand of Egyptian government and President Mubarak and its role and support in the south-north conflict, and for hosting SPLM office in Cairo, his close ties with Late Dr. John Garang de Mabior and its concern about the unity of Sudan. On various occasions, Mubarak used to reiterate that Egypt is the second country to Sudanese, and even under deteriorating relationships with the Sudanese government, yet Egypt continuous to host Sudanese citizens. But was it true that Sudanese in Egypt had become part of the Egyptian social fabric or they were always been devalued and looked at with disgust?
Due to the clashes which occurred at UNHCR office between refugees and Egyptian police forces in the year 2004, refugees were forbidden to enter UNHCR office. And processing of their case been handled at the park they occupied. And when the Sudanese refugees sit-in protest started at Mustafa Mahmoud garden in very small number on September 29, 2005, both UNHCR and Egyptian authorities never attempted to disperse the refugees. The number was left to mount without durable solution from the UNHCR Cairo and Geneva offices. During these three months, refugees managed to form a tiny miserable village with its own law enforcement, even under the hot sun and cold winter conditions. They built good relationship with the Egyptian securities overseeing their security. They were adamant in their position, and refused all initiatives by individuals, politicians, Churches and even the UNHCR announcement with eight points and the last five point agreement. On December 25, 2005 after his discussions with Sadiq al-Mahdi, Egyptian Foreign Minister said that the problem of Sudanese refugees will soon end peacefully and logically after their voyage to Australia or New Zealand or Canada or United States of America according to their wish or their return voluntarily to Sudan!
But on December 30, 2005 Cairo was awaken by the deadly disperse, brutality and excessive use of force by the Egyptian police riots on the poor unarmed Sudanese refugees. The scene and footage was horrific especially women, children and elderly. It indicates undoubtedly the determination of the police riots to do away with everyone at the park regardless as whether children or women or elderly. I believe the history will account this day as a black point in the Sudanese Egyptian relationship. When I saw the scene, I was moved and wondered, as how the Egyptian leadership should permit to ruin what has been built in thousand of years just in a matter of hours! I confess and admit that Sudanese refugees have made a mistake by occupying a national park at the median of Cairo. And have turned park into a dirty and stinky area than any part of Cairo, with their unacceptable behavior which disturbed the surrounding neighborhood and pass by. But does this constitute their penalty by this brutality and excessively use of force without mercy, as if they were mice? And was there no other method to let them surrender and leave the park without this number of causality? According to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, that Egypt dealt with Sudanese refugees with wisdom and patience! But the footage, scene, number of wounded and diseased was an absolute evidence and explains undoubtedly as how the situation was handled.
The Egyptian authorities put the entire blame on refugees and accused them or their leaders for instigation. But according to refugees, they were not given enough time to pick their language and leave, and instead were water cannoned three times on intervals and then came the swift attack in which police riots started using brutality and excessive force by beating everyone, even children whom are trying to hang on their parents were beaten fiercely, and that was evident at footage as some refugees were beaten till they became motionless. According to refugees they never used children as shields, but instead trying to protect their children but all was in vain due to the brutality of the police forces. They went on to say that, police were beating them mostly on their heads which caused this number of causality. Strangely enough and according to the eye witnesses, the Egyptian civilians who gathered around the park, some were cheering up, clapping and saying that “let them take shower to become clean, Egypt has been more patient with them and the security should have got rid of them from day one, and saying that Sudanese are disgusting”. And some of them were saying that “these Sudanese had demands and rights to be met by UNHCR and pitting their condition and some stood silent watching the scene speechless.
One of the Egyptian writers in his news commentary, was very critical on the various condemnations on the Egyptian government, and went on to say that it was strange to condemn the Egyptian police riots behavior against refugees, and said that some who were expressing their regret, sadness and anger for what took place, but in reality most of those who were in state of discomfort or regret or sorrow, were either causers of the problem right from the beginning or they pulled their hands out or they do not understand anything about the issue! He accused some Egyptian figures who condemned the cruelty of police riots, as being for their political objectives without any knowledge about the background of the issue, and said how police committed violence against Sudanese refugees! He accused refugees of turning the park into rubbish basket, dirty and stinky and for practicing all kinds of life and for causing great damage to many companies and neighborhood with their unacceptable behavior! This is not strange because everyone has got its own attitude towards any nation. And this attitude from some few people is everywhere around the globe and not only in Egypt, as Egyptians like Sudanese and vice versa and generally there is always friendly relationship between Egyptians and Sudanese.
It is worthy mentioning that refugees and specially their leaders were not smart in handling the entire process, and one wonders as some of these refugees have been living in Egypt for couple of years, but yet do not understand the mores or the exact situation here, and the brutality of the Egyptian police forces against their own people! And that was apparent during the last year Egyptian elections. Thus the leaders or refugees should have accepted the agreement made between them and UNHCR to avert the tragic day of December 30, 2005!
Since when the Sudanese refugee sit-in protest started on September 29, 2005, there was no readiness and concern from both GOSS and government of national unity to resolve the situation except from some Sudanese and Egyptian individuals till the dark day arrived! Now after the brutal disperse and loss of lives, the GOSS has formed a committee to come and investigate the tragic massacre of refugees and to determine the exact number of causality and to persuade refugees to return home! Why we always need not to act swiftly to avert any problem before it occurs? These are our brothers and sisters and under any circumstances and whatsoever the mistakes they did, we should not deny them but have to stand behind them and value them so that the other nations should respect and value them as human beings. After seven days from the event, still some families remain divided some are in hospitals, detention and some lost their love ones and there was no exact figure of the causality and the proper identification of the diseased, as some do not have the identification documents due to the scale of the violence applied on them at the park.
The historic and special relationship between the Nile Valley Sons is now under scary temptation, and one wonders as how the calamity of refugees will reshape this special relationship? Will there be any change between the two countries? I personally do not think that there will be deterioration of the relationship between the two countries. The Khartoum government is the only player on external affairs, and never condemned the act of the Egyptian police riots cruelty in strongest terms, and this is a clear indication that this event will not affect and damage the relationship between the two countries. But it has got tremendous effect and pain on the marginalized and deprived people of Sudan. And that was evident from the strongest condemnation of GOSS to the refugee massacre. But yet we have to wait and see as how the refugee causality or problem is going to be handled, the coming days and weeks will tell us. And the entire process requires genuine diplomatic efforts from both countries to reach to the bottom line of this calamity.
* Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa. E-mail: [email protected]