Press Release

December 30, 2005

Ten Sudanese Refugees Killed and Others Injured

The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office is shocked by the news that the Egyptian security forces used extreme violence to dismantle a peaceful sit-in of Sudanese refugees in Cairo the result of which ten refugees at least were killed and others injured.
According to the information that the Organization received in Cairo: “early hours of Friday, December 30, thousands of the Egyptian police and security forces launched an attack on the refugees in a public park at al-Muhandiseen area to force the refugees to end their months’ sit-in and leave the place. As a result of the attack, ten refugees lost their lives and tens were injured, including children, women, and elderly persons. The park was evacuated from all refugees by force.”
SHRO-Cairo condemns in the strongest terms possible the use of violent force against the refugees’ peaceful gathering, which was a clear expression of the long-standing problems between the protesting refugees and the UN Refugees Office in Cairo.

The Organization holds the UN Office responsible for the occurrence of these regrettable events since the Office neglected the problems of the refugees and has indirectly called on the Egyptian authorities to deal with the refugees.

The latest official statement by the UN Office indicated the failures of the Office to negotiate with the refugees before occurrence of the launched attack today. That Office statement had clearly transferred the refugees’ problem “unto the hands of Egyptian authorities.”

The Sudanese refugees have been asking the UN Office to invalidate an earlier decision suspending the UN obligation to review refugee applications. Although the decision in question promised to enable certain cases to obtain the benefits of refugee-status, it urged the bulk of the remaining refugees to return voluntarily to the Sudan. The UN Office, however, has not fulfilled its promises to the refugees; instead, the Office showed continuous negligent response to the refugees’ needs.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office asks the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva to conduct an immediate full investigation on these regrettable events.

The Geneva Office is required to press charges on all those responsible for the killings of the refugees, compensate the families and the injured parties, and provide all of the international guarantees to protect the refugees from subjection to any further violence or degrading treatment.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office reiterates an earlier call (see full text below) on the High Commissioner to consider workable possibilities to:
Suspend the June 2004 decision by the Regional Office (Cairo) that unfortunately removed the legal protection of refugees and the right of refugee applicants to seek asylum in refugee receiving nations;
Ensure necessary humanitarian support for the refugees in Egypt, which includes financial, educational, health, and employment assistance;
Provide legal protection to all refugees without reference to any conditional ethnic or regional affiliations;
Interview all new applicants or the pending cases;
Expedite resettlement procedures with the hosting nations to complete the asylum of the adopted cases;
Ensure the safety and the freedom from degrading treatment for all refugees and applicants; and
Pay additional attention to the situation of women, children, and the elderly refugees or refugee-seekers.

TO: Antonio Guterres, the High Commissioner for Refugees – Geneva
FROM: SHRO-Cairo
DATE: October 14, 2005
SUBJECT: The Situation of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt

Gravely concerned for the situation of Sudanese refugees in Egypt, the Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office (SHRO-Cairo) sincerely hopes the UNHCR would kindly put an immediate end to the suffering that Sudanese refugees in Egypt have been experiencing since the UNHCR Regional Office in Cairo “stopped registering all Sudanese asylum Seekers for Refugee Status Determination (RSD) interviews since June 2004,” as emphasized in the Refugees Petition (a copy attached).
The decision by the Regional Office had been probably based on the encouraging process of the Sudanese peace negotiations that led to the subsequent adoption of a Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005 with a special reference to South Sudan, which emphasized the urgent need to return refugees to their homes in decent conditions.
In actual fact, however, the expectations of the UNHCR Regional Office have not yet materialized up to this date: the programs of a permanent peace and a working development have just started in the South; and yet, civil war and political instability continue to ravage other regions in Western and Eastern Sudan.
Due to these devastating conditions, SHRO-Cairo believes that the call by the Regional Office on the Sudanese refugees in Egypt to voluntary return to the country was not addressed to these realities.
It is, therefore, hoped that the Regional Office would seriously consider changing both its enforceable call and decision to help promote the legal protection of refugees - the core mandate of the UNHCR – their safety, and their right to obtain decent opportunities in other hosting States.
SHRO-Cairo further believes that the UNHCR is genuinely aware of the situation of human rights in Sudan, in general, and the urgent need to support the newly-signed peace accords so that the uprooted Sudanese people can begin return in decent conditions, in particular.
The organization equally notes, as has been repeatedly urged by the Sudanese peoples and the United Nations responsible authorities, including the UNHCR, that the country would be facing a humanitarian crisis with the return of millions of people without sufficient provision of housing, education, health, drinking water, income-generating employment, and the other basic needs and necessary services,.
The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office is confident that The UNHCR would consider workable possibilities to:
Suspend the June 2004 decision by the Regional Office (Cairo) that unfortunately removed the legal protection of refugees and the right of refugee applicants to seek asylum in refugee receiving nations;
Ensure necessary humanitarian support for the refugees in Egypt, which includes financial, educational, health, and employment assistance;
Provide legal protection to all refugees without reference to any conditional ethnic or regional affiliations;
Interview all new applicants or the pending cases;
Expedite resettlement procedures with the hosting nations to complete the asylum of the adopted cases;
Ensure the safety and the freedom from degrading treatment for all refugees and applicants; and
Pay additional attention to the situation of women, children, and the elderly refugees or refugee-seekers.

Yours Excellency,
The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office takes this opportunity to appreciate the continuous assistance the Government of Egypt, UNHCR, and the UNHCR Regional Office in Cairo provided to the Sudanese refugees in Egypt in the 1990s throughout the opening decade of the century.
CC. The UNHCR Regional Office (Cairo)
The Sudanese Refugees in Egypt
Sudan Tribune
Sudanese Groups in the International Internet

To:  UNHCR Geneva, UNHCR Cair o, Human rights Organizations, Egypt and Canada and USA and Australia Governtman ts URGENT APPEAL TO SUPPORT SUDANESE REFUGEES IN EGYPT < BR>
Sudanese refugees and political asylum seekers in Egypt are experiencing the most appalling conditions that needs the immediate attention of UNHCR in Gen eva, UNCHR’s Middle East and North Africa bureau, International human rights org anizations, Arab and African human rights groups, Sudanese organizations, especi ally in the Diaspora, government of Egypt, other governments involved in the res ettlement program (Canada, USA, Australia and Denmark), and the rest of the inte rnational community.
An UNHCR report (UNHCR, 2003b) indicated as of 1 Ju ne 2004, UNHCR Cairo has stopped registering all Sudanese asylum Seekers for Ref ugee Status Determination (RSD) interviews, and is only issuing them with yellow cards indicating and providing only temporary protection. The yellow cards are valid until the end of 2004. UNHCR has stated that by the end of 2004, the situation in Sudan will b e reviewed and a decision will be taken regarding the status of the Sudanese ref ugees in Egypt. UNHCR has stated that if the situation remains the same the temp orary protection for the Sudanese asylum seekers will be extended. If the situat ion improves UNHCR will promote voluntary repatriation. Reports from Cairo sugge st a repatriation program is undertaken by UNHCR, where files of refugee claims are closed without having either a plan nor the funds to implement it, not only that, but without having any proof that the situation in Sudan has improved, in the first place. On the other hand the UNHCR officials in Cairo, claim that coun tries participating in the resettle programs, are reducing the numbers of benefi ciaries of these programs. Unfortunately, this position of the regional office’s staff (Egyptian and international) laid the ground for the curliest mistreatment and abuse of the Su danese refugee claimants that hardly exist anywhere else.
Having been denied the help and support they needed, the Sudanese refugees in Egypt are suffering from unbearable situation. Hundred are wondering the streets without shelter, wo rk or any means of preserving their human dignity. Sudanese were forced to work minimal jobs under harsh conditions without any kind of security or safety and f or long hours below minimum wage. Women and children specially are suffering fai ling health and horrible diseases, such as Tuberculoses and Anemia.
Instead of human sympathy, Sudanese became the target of racism and bigotry and smear ca mpaigns waged by some of the Egyptian media. Several police raids victimized the refugees on their places of work, residence or wonder.
The Sudanese refugee s are facing many problems, due to homelessness and poor health. Lack of medical attention or acce ss to any health care is feared to lead to death among the refugees specially ch ildren and the old.
The Sudanese refugees are camping in front of the UN HCR Cairo, for eight consecutive days, 24 hours a day, protesting ill treatment, unfairness and loss of their dignity and fundamental human rights. UNHCR Cairo continues to ignore them, while it fortified its office with an army of police.
We are very concerned with the hardships; the Sudanese refugees are sufferin g in Egypt. While we appreciate the humanitarian help and hospitality the Egypti an government and people have extended to our people, we still would like see th e government do more, and to seriously oversee and monitor the work of its offic es working with the Sudanese refugees, specially the ministry of interior affair s and the police force.
We , the undersigned
* loudly protest the and denounce the behavi or of the staff of the UNHCR’s Cairo office, who fortified the office and guarde d it with an army of police to intimidate theSudanese refugees and deny them acc ess to the
office.
* We fully support the Sudanese refugees and asylum s eekers, and their movement of protest and stand firmly behind their demands
* We press the UNHCR in Geneva, Switzerland, and assistant regional representati ve at UNHCR’s Cairo office, to review their policy, specially the policy change that took effect on 1 June 2004, when the UNHCR Cairo has stopped registering al l Sudanese asylum seekers for Refugee Status Determination (RSD) interviews, and started issuing them only temporary protection (yellow cards).
* We demand of the UNHCR headquarter to launch an immediate investigation of the practices o f it office in Cairo. We remind Geneva that lack of professionalism was a concern in its COUNTR Y OPERATIONS PLAN (Country: Arab Republic of Egypt. Planning Year: 2005). Some o f the targets of this plan were:
1- Achieving fair and efficient refugee sta tus determination procedure.
2- Ensuring minimum standards of treatment of a sylum-seekers that ensures respect for their dignity and fundamental human right s.
The investigation we demand should immediately be validated by the UNHCR own previous experience with its office in Cairo.
Sincerely,
The Unde rsigned