Since the 29^th of September 2005 more than 1500 Sudanese refugees, inclusive of children, wives and elderly family members, live on the streets in front of UNHCR headquarters in Cairo – Egypt, desperate that UNHCR would respond to their demands, legitimate by UN principles themselves. Their open sit in is a protest of UNHCR's insistence to indefinitely freeze all Sudanese files after the signing of the peace treaty between the Sudanese government and the National Front for the Liberation of the South of Sudan.

Protesting Sudanese refugees have organize their protest to maintain it peaceful and target oriented. They have chosen from amongst them a committee to negotiate with UNHCR, not anticipating that it could also have to negotiate with the Egyptian security police, which is threatening to "eradicate" them if they do not leave the place before the Feast prayers. A group of them do all kinds of errands to be able earn the little that can maintain their livelihood in the streets of Cairo, in the city where they were supposed to enjoy safety after they had escaped the harassment, detentions and torture by the hands of the Sudanese government. At night bed covers and sheets help to divide the open space into "rooms" for families to spend the night.

In this location, in the center of the upper middle class district of Mohandessin, and in front of the eyes of UNHCR, Egyptian police and Sudanese embassy personnel, four women gave birth. One baby died soon after birth. In this park which UNHCR used in the past to meet Sudanese requests for refugee status, three men died of chest disease, most probably tuberculosis. Among those families are some whose applications have been accepted, others already have the approval of the host country to receive them and some of them have been denied approval, not knowing where they are supposed to live for the remainder of their threatened lives.

Instead of exerting utmost efforts to place those refugees in a way that grants them a safe and humane life, which is the mandate of UNHCR, UNHCR's will joined that of the Sudanese embassy in Cairo to present them with the impossible choice between "voluntary return" - despite the deteriorating conditions in east and west Sudan based on several un reports and despite statements by Kofi Annan UN Secretary General and their extreme danger in the south and in the absence of any guarantees of safety upon return – and "local integration" in Egypt where Sudanese refugees are not permitted to work nor are their children allowed into government schools and where large numbers of families share small apartments in a setting that is more like a prison cell than anything else.

The director of the protectorate and the vice director of UNHCR had nothing to offer the refugees other than to ask them to leave and to organize their protests in slum areas where many of them have been subject to collective violence where Egyptian police and the Sudanese embassy are believed to be involved.

On the streets of Cairo those refugees are being stopped and deprived of their blue and orange cards which are all they have to protect them while in Egypt. Some of them have disappeared and their whereabouts are unknown to this very moment. If they fall ill they have no where to go but private hospitals which charge them as foreigner, i.e. either in hard currency or for double as much as they charge Egyptians. Yellow press accuses them of encroaching on the lives of Egyptians and actor Adel Imam, former UN ambassador of good intent has described them as beggars. And finally, the Egyptian police threatens to "eradicate" them if they do not leave before the feast on Thursday, 3^rd of November.

El Nadim Center as it expresses its concern regarding the deterioration of the health and livelihood conditions of Sudanese refugees protesting in front of UNHCR in Cairo and regarding their possible exposure to police violence in the coming days:

·  Expresses its unconditional support with the sit in of the Sudanese refugees and their internationally legitimate and acknowledged demands.

·  Calls upon all human rights and humanitarian organizations, nationally, regionally and internationally to intervene with UNHCR, Sudanese embassies in their respective countries and the Egyptian authorities to respond to the demands of Sudanese refugees in Egypt.

·  Holds UNHCR responsible for the safety of the Sudanese refugees who are present in Egypt upon an agreement with the commission that Egypt would be the passage for them.

·  Will continue to use all possible measures of intervention with UNHCR staff in Egypt and Geneva to expose the reasons and motives behind this attitude towards the Sudanese refugees which is a violation of all human rights principles, an especially major breach if done on part of an organization whose mandate is to uphold those principles in the interest of refugees worldwide.  

·  Also holds the Egyptian Ministry of Interior responsible for the safety of the protestors, including women, children and the elderly and also the responsibility to facilitate their attempts to a decent life in Egypt until they are placed in their host countries.

·  Calls upon all Egyptian Human Rights organizations and the free press in Egypt to express solidarity with the protestors by joining them for a few hours in the square opposite Mostafa Mahmoud mosque in Mohandesin on the even of the feast (Wednesday, 2^nd of November) to stand as witness and shelter from Egyptian police brutality.

·  Finally we conclude with the demands of the Sudanese refugees which have been submitted to UNHCR and all bodies concerned. When nobody seemed to listen they decided to address public opinion. 

 

Voice of the Refugees – Cairo

 

We refuse

·    "voluntary return"

·   "Local integration"

·   The arbitrary detention of Sudanese refugees without legal grounds

·   The unjust measures used by UNHCR with Sudanese refugees

We demand

·   Nondiscrimination between Sudanese refugees

·   Reopening of all closed files of Sudanese refugees

·   Dealing with Sudanese refugees as individuals and not as groups

·   That no groups or associations be taken to represent Sudanese refugees in negotiations with UNHCR.

·   That the agreement of four liberties not be applied to Sudanese refugees

·  The protection of Sudanese refugees from elements of the Sudanese National congress in Cairo (The ruling party in Sudan)

·   The registration of new comers immediately upon their arrival in Egypt.

·   Clarification of the whereabouts of disappeared Sudanese refugees in Egypt.

·   The withdrawal of the police artillery present at the office of UNHCR in Cairo.

·   Nondiscrimination by donor organizations in delivering aid to Sudanese refugees.

·   Education of police and security personnel in the host country regarding the laws and rights granted to Sudanese refugees.

·   Special care and attention to be given to the elderly, the children and women heads of households.

·   A reply to all complaints submitted by Sudanese refugees.

·   An end to all provocation of Sudanese refugees by UNHCR personnel in the Cairo office.

·   Scheduling of interviews and placement and reopening of closed files and acceleration of post placement procedures.

·   A radical solution to all Sudanese refugees or their transfer to another country.

 For more information contact:  refugees_voice_in_egypt@hotmail.com