[ITALY] The Cairo Post: 24 Egyptians deported from Italy after arriving illegally

24 January 2015

CAIRO: A total of 24 Egyptians arrived at the Cairo International Airport Saturday after they were deported from Italy for “violating residency requirements,” according to Youm7.

The Egyptian nationals, who arrived on an Egyptian plane from Catania, told the airport’s security that they were arrested near the Italian coast.

Egypt and Italy have been coordinating to curb illegal immigration, as Egypt’s north shore is also a destination for asylum-seekers from Syria, Palestine, and some African countries. The practice has led to incidents of human trafficking.

In March 2014, a four-day training program aiming to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration was held by the National Center for Social and Criminological Research the National Council for Human Rights.

In December 2014, the International Organization for Migration launched voluntary projects to encourage undocumented immigrations to return to Egypt.

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[Externalisation] ARCI - Le Processus de Khartoum: un choix contre les migrants

3 décembre 2014

Filippo Miraglia est vice-président national de l’association italienne Arci. Le 3 décembre dernier, il a publié cette tribune sur le quotidien Il Manifesto en réaction à la conférence ministérielle de lancement du Processus de Khartoum, qui s’est tenue à Rome le 28 novembre. Les médias français sont restés extrêmement discrets sur cette question.

Ces derniers jours, s’est tenue à Rome la conférence ministérielle EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, mieux connue comme Processus de Khartoum, du nom de la capitale du pays où a été organisée la première réunion de ce parcours qui a pour objectif la « gestion des routes migratoires en provenance de la Corne de l’Afrique ». La conférence a été présidée par le ministre des Affaires étrangères Gentiloni et par le ministre de l’Intérieur Alfano et elle s’est déroulée sous la présidence italienne de l’Union européenne. Le gouvernement a expliqué qu’on voulait promouvoir des projets concrets pour une gestion plus efficace des flux migratoires dans les pays de la Corne de l’Afrique et dans les pays méditerranéens de transit les plus importants (Libye, Égypte et Tunisie). À ce processus, en plus des 28 états-membres de l’Ue, ont participé la Libye, l’Égypte, le Soudan, le Sud Soudan, l’Éthiopie, l’Érythrée, Djibouti, la Somalie, le Kenya, la Tunisie, pays qui pour la plupart n’offrent aucune garantie concernant les droits de l’homme ou, comme en Érythrée ou au Soudan, sont dirigés par des dictatures sanguinaires. L’Italie a prétendu que « la gestion des flux en provenance de l’Afrique du Nord ne peut être le seul fait d’opérations humanitaires, comme Mare Nostrum, ou de contrôle aux frontières, comme l’opération Triton, gérée par l’agence européenne Frontex ». Le processus de Khartoum doit se concentrer, d’après notre gouvernement, sur un thème de grande urgence : la lutte contre le trafic des migrants (‘smuggling’) et la traite (‘trafficking’). Il pourra par la suite impliquer d’autres thèmes, en cohérence avec les priorités de l’Ue (migration régulière, migration irrégulière, migration et développement et protection internationale).

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[REFUGEES FROM SYRIA] Hurriyet Daily News: UN halts food aid for 1.7 mln Syrian refugees

1st of December 2014

A lack of funds has forced the U.N. World Food Programme to stop providing food vouchers for 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, the agency said Dec. 1.

“Without WFP vouchers, many families will go hungry. For refugees already struggling to survive the harsh winter, the consequences of halting this assistance will be devastating,” said WFP, which needs $64 million to support the refugees for the rest of December. 

The electronic voucher program has already injected about $800 million into local shops in the countries hosting refugees, and WFP will immediately resume it if new funding arrives, the statement said. 

WFP had warned last month that it might be forced to impose such a suspension and said it might have to announce a similar suspension in January for people reliant on aid within Syria. 

The agency has already cut rations for 4.25 million people in Syria. 

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR has said that a lack of cash has forced it to prioritize as it helps those in need prepare for winter, with preference for people at higher, colder altitudes and vulnerable refugees such as newborn babies.     

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[EGYPT] Amnesty International: Scores of Syrian and Palestinian refugees at imminent risk of deportation from Egypt

14 November 2014

The Egyptian authorities must immediately release and refrain from deporting at least 66 refugees from Syria and Gaza, including a number of children, who are unlawfully detained in the country, said Amnesty International. The refugees are being detained in poor conditions with some held in rooms infested with cockroaches, mosquitos and mice.

The National Security Department within the Ministry of Interior has issued deportation orders against at least 64 of the refugees – who could be deported at any time – even though the Public Prosecutor office in Alexandria ordered their release. They include 56 Palestinians threatened with being forcibly returned to Syria.

“By unlawfully detaining dozens of refugees and issuing them with deportation orders the Egyptian authorities have displayed a shocking level of indifference to their suffering,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“These are people who have had their lives devastated by the conflict and humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. The Egyptian authorities are cruelly flouting their international obligations and Egypt’s constitution to offer protection and sanctuary to those seeking refuge in their country.”

At least 150 refugees from Syria have been deported by the Egyptian authorities to Syria or other countries, including Lebanon and Turkey, so far this year, according to information available to Amnesty International.

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[Egypt] Amnesty International: URGENT ACTION REFUGEES FACE FORCIBLE RETURN TO GAZA OR SYRIA

27 October 2014

Five Palestinian refugees from Syria are at imminent risk of being forcibly returned to either Gaza or Syria by the Egyptian authorities. Their travel documents have been confiscated and they have been confined to a terminal in Cairo airport. A group of five Palestinian refugees from Syria, Mohamed Fareed Yousef, 29, Khalid Jamal Salman, 25, siblings Riham Hassan Mahmoud, 19, and Mohamed Aldurra Mahmoud, 14, as well as their cousin Ahmad Abbas, 26, have been confined to a terminal hall in Cairo International Airport, some of them since 16 October 2014. According to one of the refugees, they have been sleeping on the floor and eating only one meal per day, as they have limited

financial resources. 

Riham Hassan Mahmoud, Mohamed Aldurra Mahmoud and Ahmad Abbas left Gaza via Rafah, Egypt’s eastern border with the Gaza Strip, on 15 October. Mohamed Fareed Youssef left on 18 October, while Khalid Jamal Salman left on 23 October. As they crossed, Egyptian security forces transferred them by bus to Cairo International Airport, along with a group of Palestinians who were travelling to other countries via Cairo. As the group of Palestinians left for their final destinations, the five were confined to the terminal hall as they did not have valid visas or travel plans. Security officials at the airport confiscated their travel documents and told them they would have 48 hours before being returned to either Gaza or Syria. A representative from the Palestinian embassy in Cairo has also visited the group in the terminal, telling them that they will not be remaining in Egypt much longer. 

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[Egypt] Ma'an News agency: Egypt deports 68 Palestinian migrants to Gaza

14 October 2014

CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities deported 68 Palestinians back to Gaza on Monday after they attempted to reach Europe from the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.

The Palestinian migrants were found in Alexandria by security forces and had hoped to reach Italy, Egyptian officials said.

An Egyptian court declared that all 68 be deported to Gaza after it emerged they had used smuggling tunnels in Gaza to enter Egyptian territory.

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[Egypte Sinai] Le Monde - Chez les bourreaux du Sinaï

Voyage en barbarie 1/3 La péninsule égyptienne est devenue le théâtre d’un monstrueux trafic d’êtres humains. Des Erythréens fuyant la dictature et la pauvreté dans leur pays y sont détenus et torturés jusqu’au paiement d’une rançon exorbitante.

“ Ils ont ouvert la porte de la prison. J’ai vu dix personnes enchaînées, debout, face contre le mur. Par terre, il y avait un garçon qui n’arrivait plus à se relever. Son dos n’était que chair et os à vif. Et cette odeur de sang, d’excréments… Une odeur de mort. “ En mars 2013, Germay Berhane est jeté pour la première fois dans une maison de torture du désert du nord du Sinaï. Il va passer trois mois aux mains d’Abu Omar, l’un des trois tortionnaires les plus redoutés de la péninsule. Supplicié chaque jour, plusieurs fois par jour, sans répit.

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Lien original sur Le Monde.fr (ATTENTION version payante) 

Photo Le Monde.fr

[Egypt-Israel]: Time - ‘A Kind of Purgatory’: African Refugees in Israel

By some estimates, 60,000 African asylum-seekers — mainly from Sudan and Eritrea —
reside in Israel . For these men, women and children, the journey to the country is perilous: traversing hostile countries, often encountering bandits and facing the Egyptian and Sinai deserts before they even reach the border. Many who start the journey don’t make it. For those who do, they face a kind of purgatory rather than a home.

In Israel, these asylum-seekers are offered a temporary visa — called the 2(A)5 – that has to be renewed every three months, though they are not allowed to work. The State of Israel does not provide them with social assistance, and so many become cheap labor for various service industries, working, for example, as hotel housecleaners and groundskeepers while remaining under constant threat of arrest and detention.

Today, border crossings by asylum seekers has almost completely stopped – largely because of the 90-mile fence that Israel built on the border. (The government used African workers in its construction.) And while the exodus may have slowed to a trickle, the harsh realities of this purgatory remain.

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[Egypt]: Xindex - Finding voices: Refugee journalism in Egypt

It is still hot in the shade of the palm trees and stuccoed buildings on the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) downtown campus. Groups of refugees sit around on wicker chairs. Everyone is here to learn about journalism. Munzalak is a new organization that aims to get refugees living in Egypt involved in the media and in command of their own voice. The name translates to “your comfortable place,” like a home from home – the one you were forced to leave.

Every weekend Munzalak hires out a room at AUC. Refugees are invited to come along and learn the basics of journalism for free. Aurora Ellis, a news editor for an international news agency, runs the workshops with aim of producing “articles that deal with refugee issues and with the refugee experience.” The ultimate aim is to give refugees a space to voice their experiences. A blog on Munzalak’s website publishes pieces written by refugees (with the option of writing under a pseudonym) while training goes on and – organizers hope – more people join.

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[Egypt]: Daily News - UN representative visits African refugees on Egypt-Israeli border

A member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Israel visited African refugees currently living near the Egyptian borders with Israel on Sunday. The refugees had previously listed their demands to UNHCR in Geneva, according to a press release by EveryOne Group, an international organisation operating in defence of human and civil rights.

They are also expecting a visit from an Israeli parliamentarian who supports their case, said the press release. Around 1,000 African migrant detainees, most of whom are Eritreans, had left the Holothuroidea Detention Facility in Israel on Friday, making their way on foot towards the Egyptian border to protest their detention in Israel and to ask for United Nations help.

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[Egypt]: Daily News: Picture refugee life in Egypt

To celebrate the release of a new photo exhibit that offers a peek into the lives of refugees living in Egypt, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies organised an event this week to discuss the challenges facing those who claim asylum.

The photo exhibition, titled “Refugee Voices in Egypt – Exile, Refuge and Resilience”, includes photos of Somali, Syrian and Sudanese refugees in Egypt. The photos, compiled by UNHCR and displayed at the American University in Cairo, highlight daily moment in refugees’ lives and illustrate how families have been impacted by conflict. The event focused on real stories of refugees in Egypt and the harsh circumstances they were subjected to that have pushed them to flee their countries.

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[Egypt]: Al Monitor - Syrian refugees in Egypt determined to get to Europe

Syrian refugees in Cairo are bidding farewell before setting off for the north coast — and beyond, to southern Europe — in greater numbers. At baladi bars serving warm, tucked-away beers, or gatherings in homes around the city, more and more Syrians in Cairo are getting ready to leave.

Refugee and rights organizations Al-Monitor spoke with say they are anticipating a wave of refugee migrations across the Mediterranean in the second half of 2014, which many fear could see a repeat of events last year — deaths at sea, mass detentions and top-down incitement against Syrians living in Egypt.

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[EU-Egypt]: EU Neighbourhood Info-Cente - EU-funded migration management programme holds its interstate meeting in Cairo

A regional inter-state meeting was held in Cairo last week in order to advance cooperation among Egypt, Tunisia and Libya in addressing the challenges and opportunities of migration governance. The meeting was held by the International Organization for Migration within the scope of its ongoing EU-funded project on “Stabilizing at-risk communities and enhancing migration management to enable smooth transitions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya” (START).

The two-day interstate meeting, which took place at the Ministry of Manpower and Emigration, was hosted by the Egyptian Minister of Manpower and Emigration (MoME), Dr. Nahed Hassan Ashry, and was attended by delegations of high-ranking officials from Libya, Tunisia and Egypt.

The main objective of START is to support the governments of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya to stabilize at-risk communities and enhance migration management – helping to establish preconditions to smooth transition processes and sustainable recoveries in the three target countries.

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[Egypte]: IRIN - L’accès à l’éducation, un défi supplémentaire pour les réfugiés en Égypte

Photo appartenant au même article: ©Adam Ramsey/IRIN. Des réfugiés syriens, soudanais et somaliens suivent un cours d’art dans une école dirigée par l’ONG Tadamon

LE CAIRE, 9 avril 2014 (IRIN) - Alors que le nombre de Syriens arrivant en Égypte augmente, les réfugiés disent qu’ils ont de plus en plus de difficultés à inscrire leurs enfants dans des écoles publiques déjà surchargées.

Les réfugiés, les demandeurs d’asile et les migrants installés en Égypte se plaignent également des frais de scolarité élevés dans les écoles privées et publiques, des procédures d’inscription bureaucratiques et du climat croissant de méfiance, de xénophobie et de discrimination dans les salles de classe.

À la fin de l’année 2013, le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR) recensait 179 762 réfugiés et demandeurs d’asile enregistrés, dont une majorité de Syriens et de Soudanais.

Mais selon un rapport basé sur des estimations réalisées par des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) locales et rendu public par Tadamon - principale ONG d’aide aux réfugiés en Égypte – le pays pourrait compter entre 1,5 million et 3 millions de réfugiés. D’après Tadamon, la confusion des chiffres résulte de « définitions juridiques divergentes » et « de l’incapacité ou du refus de bon nombre de réfugiés à se faire enregistrer ».

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