Sudanese shot by Egyptian police at Israel border
March 17, 2008 (ISMAILIA, Egypt) – Egyptian border police today shot a Sudanese trying to enter illegally to Israel, while other four succeeded to cross to the Jewish state.
According to Israeli aid workers there are some 2,600 asylum seekers residing in the Tel Aviv area, of which hundreds live in shelters, and some 6,000 in Israel. The number of Sudanese is estimated at over 2300 Sudanese.
Egyptian police shot Abdellah Shukar, 23 old, from Darfur in the chest while he was trying with a group of Sudanese to slip into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai on Monday.
He was moved to El-Arish Hospital.
Every month hundreds of Sudanese from Darfur and southern Sudan attempt to cross into Israel from Egypt.
The Israeli police said only on February 8, 2008 123 Sudanese refugees infiltrated Israel through the border with Egypt, on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip.
“Excessively harsh socio-economic conditions and racist attitudes in Egypt seem to be the main reason why Sudanese refugees want to relocate to Israel.” Wrote Gmal Nkrumah in a paper published last August in the Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly.
(ST)