Egypt's crackdown on refugees shows no signs of slowing

Egyptian authorities are taking advantage of confusion over an expired deadline and the UN Refugee Agency’s slow progress in processing refugee applications to harass and detain refugees waiting to seek asylum. 

At the end of last month, Egypt received the first billion euros from the EU as part of its $8 billion-equivalent (€7.3 billion) funding package, which encourages Egypt to deter migrants from entering “fortress Europe”.

Across Egypt, authorities continue to instil a culture of fear towards refugees and carry out forced deportations, according to human rights groups. 

The rise in deportations and arrests started in August last year when Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decree requiring undocumented foreign nationals to pay $1,000 in “administrative expenses” and secure an Egyptian host to regularise their status.

“The decision was disastrous, and its consequences included massive violations without accountability from law enforcement agencies,” Nour Khalil, executive director of Refugee Platform in Egypt (RPE), told The New Arab.

“The RPE has documented dozens of cases and reports and found security authorities began widespread arrest campaigns for people with darker skin. Even those who have residence permits are routinely taken to the public prosecution on charges of irregular presence.”

There has been confusion in the Egyptian press surrounding the deadline for undocumented persons to “legitimise” their status, with some claiming undocumented people had to pay $1,000 by 30 June to secure their status in Egypt. In fact, the decision exempts both refugees and Sudanese nationals, it has been extended several times and, since March, the deadline has been the end of August. 

The confusion is typical of the government’s underhand tactics to make life even tougher for refugees and undocumented people in Egypt. 

“Egypt authorities force people, through strict procedures, to be in an ‘irregular’ situation, then punish them for that, and use this pretence in order to collect more money from them,” Khalil said.

Deportations are politically motivated as government spokespeople have repeatedly emphasised that Egypt already hosts nine million “guests” and blame them for Egypt’s economic crisis. 

“You can see in the media, which is largely controlled by the state, pro-government anchors blaming refugees for the economic burden,” Mahmoud Shalaby, Egypt researcher at Amnesty International, told The New Arab. 

Since March 2023, millions of Sudanese fleeing the war have attempted to escape to Egypt and there are fears of an influx of Palestinians from Gaza. At the same time, Egyptians have faced worsening economic conditions with more pushed towards poverty as food prices rose by over 50% in the last year.

EU endorsement 

Egypt received a billion euros from the EU on 29 June as part of Cairo’s $8 billion financial assistance package in exchange for curbing migrants and ensuring regional security. 

The remainder of the $8 billion financing will be disbursed over the coming years, meaning Egyptian authorities will be extremely incentivised to stem the flow of migrants and push them back into countries of entry, such as Sudan. 

“This will exacerbate the situation for many refugees, because the Egyptian government is using refugees as a leverage to negotiate better terms with the EU,” Shalaby said.

Human rights groups have widely condemned the deal as a crude cash-for-migration tool, which will implicitly encourage Egypt to commit further human rights abuses towards refugees.

“Egyptian border guards have been receiving support from the EU for years, and in the strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union one of its pillars is dedicated to addressing the issue of immigration, which makes the European Union involved in these crimes,” Khalil said.

Struggle to renew refugee status 

Even for refugees in Egypt who have secured UNHCR refugee status or are in the process of renewing their status, the situation is precarious. Authorities are taking advantage of a backlog of applicants at UNHCR to quietly carry out deportations.

There are 672,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 62 countries living in Egypt, according to UNHCR figures from June 2024. More than 617,000 people forced to flee Sudan approached UNHCR Egypt since April 2023 and the rise in numbers is causing an enormous backlog, meaning applicants are waiting six months or more for appointments. 

A teacher at a refugee school in Cairo told TNA that their students, largely from the war-torn nations of Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, were struggling to renew UNHCR refugee status despite having lived in Egypt for many years and in some cases their whole lives. Students are scared to make the journey to school or even leave their house for fear of being stopped by the police.

“The issue is the government doesn't want to give people the chance to go through this process,” Shalaby says. “When Sudanese refugees get caught on the streets, the Egyptian authorities will deport them, even when they have a registration appointment with UNHCR.” 

For decades, millions of Sudanese have lived in Egypt and until the outbreak of the war were able to cross the border with relative ease. Today, most are forced to enter illegally after paying enormous smuggling fees and even those who make the hazardous crossing may not have a fair chance to register with UNHCR.

According to a report from Amnesty, “Egyptian authorities forcibly returned an estimated 800 Sudanese detainees between January and March 2024, who were all denied the possibility to claim asylum.”

Similar findings from RPE showed that refugees from Sudan were unable to reach the detention centres and were then deported without procedures, including women, children, and the sick. 

“I also monitored the deportation of dozens of wounded people who survived accidents in which migrant cars overturned while trying to enter,” Khalil said.

Political and media assault

The political and media classes keep attacking migrants and use racist rhetoric to normalise harsh treatment towards migrants who are often scapegoated for Egypt’s economic crisis. 

“You see on social media, on Facebook and Twitter, coordinated campaigns managed by accounts that used to attack any government critics in Egypt, promoting discriminatory and racist speech against migrants, specifically Sudanese,” Shalaby said.

While it’s difficult to gauge widespread opinion among Egyptians towards migrants, many migrants have reported incidents of racial insults and hostility from Egyptians due to their skin colour.  

As violence in Sudan, Gaza, and Ethiopia continues and Egypt keeps receiving support from the EU to curb migration, the lives of refugees and undocumented people in Egypt will undoubtedly become even tougher.

“I believe the deportation policy is going to continue,” said Shalaby. “It's hard to say if there is an increase or decrease in numbers, because the Egyptian government doesn't release any figures about deportations, and there is complete lack of transparency.” 

Lara Gibson is a Cairo-based journalist closely following Egypt's economic and political developments.

Follow her on Twitter: @lar_gibson