Egypt: Rights body warns against denying Sudanese entry
July 13, 2023 (BEIRUT) – The Egyptian government’s decision in June 2023 to require all Sudanese to obtain visas to enter Egypt has reduced access to safety for women, children, and older people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Sudan, a US-based human rights group said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the move violates international standards by creating unreasonable and life-threatening delays in processing asylum seekers.
Also, while Egyptian authorities claimed the new entry rule would reduce forgery, asylum seekers complained of being stranded in dare humanitarian conditions.
Some asylum seeker told HRW they have been compelled to wait up to a month as they struggled to secure food, accommodation as well as health care services.
“The need to combat visa forgery does not justify Egypt denying or delaying entry to people fleeing Sudan’s devastating conflict,” said Amr Magdi, a senior Middle East and North Africa researcher at the US-based human rights body.
“The Egyptian government should rescind its entry visa rule for Sudanese nationals during the current crisis, permit them swift entry, and facilitate access to asylum procedures or treat them as the refugees most if not all are,” he added.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 2.7 million Sudanese have been displaced, with 2.2 million within Sudan, and nearly 500,000 to surrounding countries, since the start of hostilities in Sudan in April.
Since then, Egypt has reportedly received 250,000 Sudanese fleeing the conflict.
HRW interviewed five Sudanese nationals seeking visas between May and June.
Under Egypt’s current rules, Sudanese can reportedly request an entry visa at two Egyptian consulates, in Wadi Halfa and Port Sudan, in eastern Sudan.
On May 5, UNHCR urged all countries to allow access to their territories without discrimination for civilians feeling Sudan, including people who don’t have their identity documents. The agency also advised countries that people who fled Sudan due to the conflict may be in need of international refugee protection.
Refusing entry to asylum seekers at the border or at any point of entry violates the right to seek asylum under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
According to HRW, forcing Sudanese back to Sudan most likely also violates the principle of nonrefoulement under the 1951 UN and 1969 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) refugee conventions and the 1969 Convention against Torture, to which Egypt is a party.
(ST)