Egyptian authorities have intensified enforcement measures against refugees and asylum seekers, leading to a rise in detentions and deportations over recent months, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday.
The measures have primarily affected nationals fleeing conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan. The rights organisation noted that many individuals are facing legal difficulties due to significant processing backlogs within Egypt’s immigration offices. Consequently, asylum seekers are being detained and deported for lacking valid residency permits, despite the delays originating from the state’s administration.
“Refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt are losing their residency status because of administrative delays and are being jailed and deported for lacking the very documents the government has failed to provide,” said Michelle Randhawa, Senior Refugee and Migrant Rights Officer at HRW. She described the policy of detaining people under these circumstances as both “arbitrary and draconian.”
The shift in enforcement comes amid a notable increase in displacement across the region. Figures from the United Nations refugee agency or UNHCR show that the number of registered refugees in Egypt has grown by 281% since 2022, reaching over 1.1 million people, largely driven by the ongoing conflict in Sudan. HRW’s investigation found that authorities are conducting deportations without the individual risk assessments required to ensure people are not returned to unsafe conditions.
–ChannelAfrica/HRW–
