Sudanese Refugees in Egypt Facing Harsh Conditions
Mashaer Idris
Sudanese refugees are enduring harsh humanitarian conditions in Cairo due to skyrocketing rents, high cost of living, and the failure of official channels to accommodate most Sudanese families, especially those who arrived through informal smuggling routes. Amid these difficult circumstances, theres significant disregard for the role of refugee commissions and human rights organizations, leading some families to decide to return to Sudan despite ongoing conflict, unable to meet their basic life needs.
Last June, Egypt allowed Sudanese refugees fleeing the war to enter its territory, while thousands of individuals at border crossings faced critical humanitarian conditions after Cairo prevented Sudanese from entering with emergency travel documents and passports, despite authorities extending their validity after the outbreak of war. Egypt also refused to add children.
Many Sudanese individuals have faced deportation orders by Egyptian authorities since last February, after being detained for residency violations. Some of them, despite being refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and acquitted by regular judicial procedures, have been decided for deportation alongside mistreatment by state security authorities.
Safa Ali, a Sudanese refugee in Egypt, complained about the mistreatment Sudanese face in Egypt, unlike other communities. She stated, "Sudanese families go since dawn to follow residency procedures and return in the evening, in addition to the delay in residency approval, which sometimes takes between two to three months." She noted that residency applicants suffer from overcrowding and delays, undermining the dignity of Sudanese individuals, criticizing the Sudanese embassy in Egypt and the Sudanese community in Egypt for failing to address Sudanese problems in Cairo. Ali emphasized the presence of a large number of minors and Sudanese girls placed in Egyptian prisons due to residency issues.
Cost of Living
Meanwhile, another Sudanese refugee in Egypt, Fatima Hamed, pointed to the soaring rents and exploitation of Sudanese, especially undocumented refugees, as a pressing issue. She stated that she and her husband, along with their three daughters and nine children, including her two brothers, were given 72 hours to vacate their apartment. They couldnt find a cheaper apartment, with rents starting at 12,000 Egyptian pounds, and they dont have such a large amount. She indicated that her family is at risk of becoming homeless because they cannot afford another expensive apartment. She mentioned the lack of support from the Egyptian government for Sudanese refugees.
Limited Job Opportunities
On the legal side, Sudanese lawyer Rehab Mubarak mentioned that the integration issue allows the Egyptian government to educate Sudanese students in its schools and doesnt object to granting licenses to Sudanese schools to operate in Egypt according to Egyptian education laws. She confirmed that Sudanese in Egypt have access to healthcare and hospitals according to the Four Freedoms Agreement signed between Egypt and Sudan. Mubarak added that the UNHCR is working on issuing residence permits (yellow cards) for a year and six months, temporary residency for anyone until the Sudan war crisis is resolved. As for voluntary return to their homeland or submission to a new situation, the UNHCR decides according to migration and displacement laws after the residency period ends.
She revealed that a large number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt have been self-sustaining without receiving money from any other sources since the early months of the war, indicating that all they receive is a safe haven from their own expense. She acknowledged that the challenges facing Sudanese are their desire to return to their lives in their country, along with limited job opportunities, as most Sudanese in Egypt work in marginal professions or simple jobs without specialization.
According to the Four Freedoms Agreement signed between Khartoum and Cairo, residents of both countries have the right to travel, own property, reside, and work, but Egypt imposes restrictions on Sudanese entry into its territory, a clear violation of this agreement, such as requiring men under fifty to have entry visas while exempting women and children from these restrictions.
Serious Violations
A representative of a human rights organization stated that a joint statement by 27 organizations in March demands that the Egyptian authorities immediately stop targeting asylum seekers, refugees, and Sudanese migrants with arbitrary arrests and forced deportation, in addition to adhering to the implementation of international treaties they signed, especially the prohibition of the forced return of refugees to their country of origin, where they face danger upon deportation.
She noted that arrest and deportation campaigns began in late August of last year and are ongoing to this day, with Egyptian authorities carrying out these arrests nationwide, including Cairo, Giza, Aswan, the Red Sea, Matrouh, and Alexandria, and along Egypts southern borders.
The Darfur Lawyers Association and its partners announced during the past months that they would file a complaint with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish a committee to review the deficiencies and violations in the offices of the UNHCR in Cairo and in setting appointments.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Darfur Lawyers Association, Sadiq Ali Hassan, stated that the complaint has been ready for more than a month, but the main obstacle is that the representative of the UNHCR in Cairo and the League of Arab States, Dr. Hanan Hamdan, is unknown, and we are still looking for her.
Sadiq explained that the complaint to the UNHCR must first be fulfilled with the concerned offices in Cairo, especially since Dr. Hanan Hamdan, the UNHCR representative in Cairo and responsible for receiving the complaint, is behind the veil of the iron fence of the UNHCR. He added that if communication with Dr. Hanan fails by next week, they will directly resort to the UN High Commissioner with a statement detailing the reasons for the direct appeal due to the inability to deliver the complaint to the relevant offices of the UNHCR in Egypt.
The legal status of refugees in international law allows them to stay in the host country and not to be returned to their country of origin (non-refoulement, for example) and to education, healthcare, housing, work, and family.
