CAIRO — Cairo time
CAIRO — Egypt began mass deportations of Sudanese refugees at its southern border on Tuesday, a sweeping move that human rights groups say could affect more than 40,000 people within days. Egyptian authorities confirmed the action, citing what they described as “organized incursions by armed militia groups operating from Sudan into Egyptian territory.”
The deportations began at the Ashkit crossing near the disputed Halayib triangle, where Egyptian border forces have been engaged in sustained exchanges with RSF-aligned militias since Saturday. Cairo issued an emergency decree Monday night classifying the border region a “closed military zone,” effectively stripping due-process protections for anyone found within 40 kilometers of the frontier.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called the deportations “a grave violation of the principle of non-refoulement,” the international legal prohibition on returning refugees to territories where they face serious harm. At least 14 countries have issued formal protests through diplomatic channels, and the African Union has called an urgent session.
The crisis comes as Sudan’s civil war, now in its third year, has displaced more than 12 million people. Egypt, itself navigating a severe economic crisis, has absorbed an estimated 1.2 million Sudanese refugees since April 2023, the largest single-host country for the conflict.