Sudan. Condolences for the victims of thirst and heat escaping the civil war and recommendations to prevent deaths at the Egyptian Sudanese border
#Statement
10 June 2024
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF) extends its condolences to the families of the Sudanese victims of thirst and heat who lost their lives during their trip to Egypt to escape the violent massacres in Sudan.
Many Sudanese, including families, children and the elderly, had taken irregular routes to enter Egypt after the repercussions of the war in Sudan, which forced hundreds of Sudanese to flee to the Egyptian border, taking very rugged and risky paths in order to save their lives.
However, the death they were fleeing from was waiting for them in Egypt, as a result of the intense heat wave and the difficulty and hardship of the journey, especially for the elderly and children, as many migrants were exposed to various accidents during the past three days, and hospitals in the city of Aswan witnessed the reception of many accident cases, in addition to the hospital morgues being full with the dead.
Survivors mentioned the spread of bodies in the desert of people who died either due to accidents, vehicle breakdowns, or thirst and getting lost in the desert.
ECRF learned from its sources that the number of deceased people is at least 21 people, as it reviewed a list of the names of the deaths, and there are still 5 cases in the hospital receiving treatment. According to other sources, the number may be higher than that, including women and children, as other reports stated. The deaths as of yesterday evening amounted to 35 cases, and there are reports of other cases on the way to Aswan hospitals. The morgues of Aswan and Al-Sadaqa Hospital were crowded with bodies last Thursday and Friday. The prosecution has begun investigating survivors and has seized the bodies of the deceased. A number of administrative reports have been issued by the Second Aswan Prosecution on June 7th and 8th 2024 regarding investigations into the incident.
At the beginning of the war in April 2023, ECRF had issued a statement, in which it warned of the increasing numbers heading to Egypt, which could constitute a humanitarian catastrophe if there was not an early response and preparation to receive asylum seekers. This is something that Egyptian authorities have not paid attention to until now. Reasons for migration across the Sudanese-Egyptian border include the difficulty of obtaining an entry visa from Egyptian consulates, which led to the choice of the smuggling route an easy way out in view of offers by smugglers and in light of the ongoing massacres that drive the Sudanese to flee.
Therefore,
First: ECRF extends its condolences to our brothers, the Sudanese people and to all the families of the victims.
Second: ECRF calls on the Egyptian authorities to promptly hand over the bodies of the deceased to their families and assist the afflicted families, while releasing all detained Sudanese, as they are considered victims in accordance with international law and Egyptian legislation and that no charges be brought against them and that they may not be detained without legal claim.
Third: ECRF calls on the Egyptian government to facilitate the reception and protection of asylum seekers and war victims and do what is necessary to respond to the large numbers of displaced people at these crossing points and allow entry without the requirement to obtain a visa, or at least waive it for children, women and the elderly in accordance with the rules of international law in light of the difficult situation in all regions of Sudan. This is to ensure that the displaced do not resort to smuggling routes and irregular entry through the desert in the event that the official ports of entry are closed to them, because these routes pose risks of death, being killed or exploited by smugglers and human traffickers.
Fourth: Enabling the displaced to seek asylum and providing all possible assistance to the United Nations High Commissioner to reach the injured asylum seekers, register the injured and their families, and provide them with international protection as quickly as possible.
Fifth: ECRF shares and stands in solidarity with the demands made by the international, Arab and African community to quickly and effectively intervene to end the armed conflict in Sudan and protect civilians in preparation for the return of the displaced and refugees to their homeland.
Sixth: The international community and international and regional organizations must provide financial and technical support to the Egyptian government in providing humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants and share in bearing the burden.
Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/ECRF_ORG
