Sudan’s ongoing conflict has forced hundreds of thousands to flee to neighboring countries, with Egypt being one of the most significant destinations due to its proximity to and historical ties with Sudan. However, since the outbreak of war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, Egypt’s stance toward these refugees has grown increasingly hostile, framing them as a burden to the country with its deepening economic crisis. Authorities have increased deportations back to a country where conflict still rages while violating their human rights.
Egypt has long been home to millions of Sudanese, especially during periods of conflict in their home country, such as the civil wars of 1955-1972 and 1983, as well as the Darfur conflict of 2003. These streams of people were facilitated by bilateral agreements like the Wadi El Nil Agreement, which, from 1976 to 1995, exempted Sudanese nationals from visa requirements. In more recent years, from 2017 to 2023, Egypt eased entry for certain groups, allowing women, children, and older men to enter without visas.
However, since the conflict began last year, over 600,000 Sudanese citizens have crossed into Egypt, and the Egyptian government has restricted access and tightened visa requirements for all Sudanese nationals. This policy shift has forced many refugees to enter through irregular border crossings, often with help from smugglers, which risks arrest and deportation.
In recent months, Egyptian authorities, including the Border Guard Forces and police, have been conducting mass arrests of refugees in the greater Cairo and Aswan areas. Individuals are targeted based on race by police in plain clothes. They conduct identity checks and arrest those without valid residency permits, even when the individual possesses a valid UNHCR card.
Amnesty International conducted research on the arbitrary detention and forced returns of Sudanese refugees in Egypt, confirming that in September 2023 at least 3,000 were deported and that between January and March of 2024, at least 800 were forcibly deported, denied access to asylum procedures, and held in inhumane conditions. The organization also shared how detained refugees are kept in overcrowded facilities with poor sanitation, insufficient food and water, and no access to healthcare. They will often have to stay there for weeks before being taken to border crossings where they are handed over to Sudanese authorities. Amnesty also published stories of refugees who were receiving treatment in hospitals when they were arrested and detained, highlighting the extent of the violations, which disregard international refugee and human rights laws, including the principle of non-refoulement that forbids the forced return of individuals to a place where they face persecution.
Despite well-documented human rights abuses from several human rights organizations (Reuters, The New Humanitarian, Amnesty International), the international community, specifically the European Union, continues to engage in migration control collaborations with the Egyptian government. In 2022, the EU signed an €80 million agreement to support Egypt’s Border Guard Forces to prevent irregular migration. The fact that it is these forces that have been partaking in the mass arrests and deportations raises concerns about the EU’s role in enabling human rights violations and its disregard for the values it claims to uphold. Nevertheless, in March 2024, the EU continued its cooperation with Egypt with a €7.4 billion aid and investment package, of which a significant part was marked for migration control.
Beyond legal abuses, Sudanese refugees in Egypt have also been facing racial discrimination. A 2012 study by the American University in Cairo revealed that 82.5% of Sudanese in Egypt had experienced verbal and physical abuse; additionally, Sudanese women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence. Since last year’s escalations in Sudan, there has been a rise in xenophobic rhetoric against these refugees, exacerbating their precarious situation. The mass arrests and the constant threat of deportation restricts their access to essential services and employment, leaving them marginalized in an already strained economy. Many Sudanese refugees remain undocumented, awaiting lengthy registration processes with UNHCR that can last until 2026.
Increasing deportations of Sudanese refugees from Egypt, in combination with widespread abuses and racial discrimination, reveal the harsh realities faced by those fleeing the conflict in Sudan. Egypt has legal obligations under international law; however, its police and practices undermine these and put thousands of vulnerable people at risk. Despite this, the EU continues its cooperation with Egypt on migration control. Urgent attention is needed to ensure that Sudanese refugees are granted protection from further violations, a right they are entitled to under international refugee law.