Egypt cracks down on Sudanese marking victories of Sudan’s army

Egyptian authorities have reportedly stepped up a crackdown targeting Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers following recent triumphs earned by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over its rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Over the weekend, security forces arrested nearly two dozen Sudanese nationals as they gathered in the streets of Cairo and Giza provinces to publicly celebrate the army regaining control of the strategic city of Wad Madani.

Detentions were mostly made in Cairo’s Ain Shams neighbourhood and Faisal district in Giza, known as hubs of large Sudanese communities in Egypt.

“State security agency has been monitoring the activities of Syrians, Palestinians and the Sudanese in Egypt, who have political activities, or those celebrating any form of political or military victories, even online,” a senior security source told The New Arab on condition of anonymity for not being authorised to talk to the media.  

“There are direct instructions to detain or deport anyone who has a political affiliation not aligned with the Egyptian regime for some have [reportedly] been in touch with Egyptian activists and political forces and expected to join protests on the 14th anniversary of the 25 January Revolution,” the source added.  

A general state of discontent has been growing among the public in Egypt due to an unforgiving economic crisis and the worst human rights crackdown the country has sustained in modern history, sparking fears inside the government of inevitable unrest and anarchy to erupt.

According to the source, there have been growing concerns inside the country’s security agencies about Egyptian activists’ joining any form of celebratory gatherings amid the ongoing developments in the neighbouring Palestinian Gaza Strip, Sudan and Syria in the coming days and using them to protest against the brutal regime of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The crackdown, which rights groups argue, is emblematic of worsening repression under Sisi, raising further concerns about the fate of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers living in Egypt.

Detentions of Sudanese nationals have not been officially declared, as their whereabouts or the charges facing them remain unclear until publication time. Neither have local nor international rights groups reported them yet.

Egypt is the largest recipient of Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers, hosting about 1.2 million who fled the civil war at home that erupted in April 2023 as per the United Nations and the Egyptian government.

Forced deportations continue

Last month, after the downfall of Syria’s former dictator Bashar Al-Assad, security agencies in Egypt reportedly placed the country under an undeclared state of high alert, followed by the ongoing developments in neighbouring Sudan.

In recent days, the Egyptian authorities have reportedly deported hundreds of Sudanese nationals; many of them even had legal statuses in the country.  

“The authorities have ramped up restrictions on Sudanese nationals, regardless of their status, as security checkpoints have been in place in and around border crossings and in the desert to foil any illegal entry of Sudanese nationals via traffickers,” another high-level security source told TNA.

“Egyptian embassies have stopped granting entry visas for the Sudanese, Palestinians and Syrians until further notice,” the source said, also on condition of anonymity for similar reasons.

Moreover, TNA spoke with several Sudanese nationals, who asked to remain anonymous for safety concerns. They alleged that many of their friends and relatives had been forcibly deported without a logical justification.

“We are staying at home and only going out for basic needs. Otherwise, we seek the help of our local friends who get us our necessities such as food and medicine for fear of being deported,” one Sudanese refugee in Aswan told TNA.

“Anybody spotted by security personnel or informants can be arrested and deported at any moment now,” the refugee added.

Meanwhile, Sudanese news outlets recently reported that Sudanese deportees were allegedly subjected to inhumane conditions as they were held at “unofficial” detention centres on the border, triggering an outcry on social media. The reports conform to earlier testimonies and findings published by several local and international rights groups over the past months.

The Egyptian authorities have failed to provide statistics or acknowledge their policy of deportations since the conflict first broke out.

Last month, Sisi ratified the first asylum law, which rights groups, argue is likely to threaten access to protection for those fleeing conflict zones.

The rather controversial law stipulates that a permanent refugee committee under the Egyptian prime minister’s office is tasked with overseeing asylum applications and services, replacing this way the UN refugee agency and a system set by the 1954 Convention. 
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