Egypt: Protect Rights of Refugees

egypt

Egypt‘s mass arbitrary arrests and unlawful deportations of Sudanese refugees represent a grave violation of international human rights and refugee protection norms.

Development Diaries reports that Amnesty International, in a new report, revealed how Sudanese refugees are rounded up and unlawfully deported to Sudan which is an active conflict zone, in flagrant violation of international law– without due process or opportunity to claim asylum.

The report titled ‘Handcuffed like Dangerous Criminals: Arbitrary Detention and Forced Returns of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt’ states that thousands of Sudanese refugees have been arbitrarily arrested and subsequently collectively expelled.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 3,000 people were deported to Sudan from Egypt in September 2023 alone.

In addition to undermining the fundamental principles of asylum , these actions worsen the already difficult conditions faced by individuals fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

The indiscriminate detention and expulsion of refugees, many of whom are escaping violence and persecution, contravene Egypt’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which mandate the protection of refugees from forcible return to a country where they may face threats to their life or freedom.

Furthermore, these deportations have severe repercussions for the refugees, who are sent back to an environment of ongoing conflict and instability. By forcibly returning individuals to a country embroiled in violence, Egypt risks exposing them to further harm, persecution, and potential loss of life.

As such, this development is a breach international of law and also disregards the basic tenets of humanity and compassion that should guide the treatment of those seeking refuge.

Egypt must cease these unlawful practices immediately and instead uphold its international commitments by providing protection and humanitarian assistance to those in dire need.

Development Diaries calls on the Egyptian government to cease the mass arbitrary arrests and unlawful deportations and uphold the rights of refugees.

 

Source: Amnesty International

Photo source: Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images

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