Amnesty International accused Egyptian authorities of carrying out mass arrests and unlawful deportations of Sudanese refugees in a 35-page report, which criticizes the policy and urges Egypt to stop these "unlawful" actions.

According to the UNHCR, almost 2 million people have fled Sudan to neighboring countries since the start of the conflict in April 2023, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vie for power with generals from Sudan’s regular military. It is estimated that half a million people have crossed from Sudan into Egypt, although the actual number is likely much higher since many Sudanese have entered irregularly ever since Egypt began imposing entry visas on all Sudanese in June of last year.

The Amnesty publication titled, "Handcuffed like Dangerous Criminals: Arbitrary Arrest and Forcible Return of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt", documented 12 incidents during which Egyptian authorities "forcibly returned an estimated 800 Sudanese nationals" in the initial months of 2024, without conducting individualized assessments or giving them the possibility to claim asylum or challenge deportation decisions.

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According to Amnesty, the arrests have been ongoing since 2023, and mostly occur in urban areas, including in the neighborhoods of Cairo and Giza, as well as in the southern city of Aswan, near the border with Sudan. "Police, mainly in plain clothes, have been conducting mass stops and checks of identity documents targeting Black people in the streets, using transport or at checkpoints," detailed the report.

The wave of arrests led Sudanese refugees who had entered Egypt irregularly in recent months to restrict their movement in Cairo and Giza, complicating their access to work and essential services.

"It is incomprehensible that Sudanese women, men and children fleeing armed conflict in their country in search of safety across the Egyptian border are being arrested en masse and arbitrarily detained in deplorable conditions," said Sarah Hashash, an Amnesty spokesperson.

After their arrest, Amnesty found that Egyptian authorities held Sudanese refugees in "cruel and inhuman conditions". In certain photos shared with the rights organization, dozens of women and children are seen sitting on a dirty floor, with trash scattered in one corner. Former detainees described having to endure cold temperatures at night because of large, permanently open windows in a warehouse, without being provided clothes or blankets.

Other refugees described a detention facility that looked like "a horse stable", and a space that was so cramped that new arrivals were put out in a cold courtyard, as per the report.

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Hospital arrests

Amnesty said it documented numerous cases of individuals being arrested and detained even as they were receiving medical treatment in hospitals for injuries they had sustained while making the journey from Sudan.

A medical source interviewed by Amnesty recounted witnessing the police transferring a Sudanese patient in a serious condition to a police station before the treatment was over: "This man survived a car accident on his way to enter Egypt irregularly [from Sudan]. When he was brought to the hospital, he had an open fracture in his leg, for which he needed surgery. On the same day of the surgery, the police transferred him to a police station in Aswan although he required at least one week of medical care.”

The report also described how the increase in arrests and mass expulsions came amid a rise in xenophobia and racism in Egypt – online, in the media, and also in statements by government officials blaming the refugees for creating "burdens" on Egypt. Sudanese women and girls may be particularly vulnerable because of prevailing sexual violence in Egypt, which is sometimes racially motivated, according to research conducted in 2022 by Human Rights Watch.

Last March the EU signed a new agreement with Egypt, worth 7.4 billion euros. This included 200 million euros earmarked for managing migration.

"By cooperating with Egypt in the migration field without rigorous human rights safeguards, the EU risks complicity in Egypt’s human rights violations," said Hashash.

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