Amnesty International called on the Egyptian government to immediately stop all forced deportation and arbitrary detention of Sudanese refugees, in a report released on Wednesday. The report documented over 5,000 Sudanese nationals deported from April to September 2023. The report also highlighted the expulsions of 721 Sudanese refugees on June 13, reflecting the authorities’ systemic approach to collective expulsions.
The report highlights the mass arrests of Sudanese women, men, and children by Egyptian border forces and law enforcement agencies since the outbreak of armed conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023. These refugees have been detained in cruel and inhumane conditions such as warehouses or horse stables, suffering from overcrowding, lack of medical care, insufficient food and water, and unsanitary conditions. The organization alleges that the detained refugees are being held pending forcible returns to Sudan, with no opportunity to apply for asylum or legally challenge their deportation. Furthermore, the report documents detentions marred by serious fair trial violations, including lack of legal representation, incommunicado detention, and ignored release orders, resulting in arbitrary detention pending deportation.
Notably, on August 29, 2023, the Egyptian government issued Decree No. 3326 of 2023, allowing migrants to legalize their stay in Egypt by paying $1,000 and late fines. However, immediately after this decree, human rights groups reported receiving and documenting hundreds of reports of systematic arrests, arbitrary detention, and forcible return campaigns carried out by Egyptian authorities against Sudanese refugees and migrants nationwide. According to these organizations, the arrest and deportation campaigns began in late August 2023 and are still ongoing, with arrests occurring in cities like Cairo, Giza, Aswan, the Red Sea, Matrouh, and Alexandria, as well as along Egypt’s southern border.
The Amnesty International report also highlights Egypt’s abysmal human rights record, including violations against refugees and migrants, despite the EU’s announcement of a strategic partnership agreement with Egypt in March 2024. This agreement involves a €7.4 billion aid and investment package aimed at deepening cooperation over migration and border control. However, critics argue that without pushing for genuine human rights reforms or reining in Egyptian government abuses, the EU’s support is unlikely to stop the repression of migrants and may even exacerbate it, as funds could directly support such repression.
In response to the situation, more than 25 organizations, including Statewatch, have signed a joint statement calling on the Egyptian government “to immediately stop the serious abuses against Sudanese seeking refuge in Egypt.” The statement demands an end to inhumane detention conditions, unfair proceedings, forced returns, racial profiling, and the extraction of payments on the promise of status regularization.
