Sudanese Refugees in Egypt: “Voluntary” Returns Amidst Intensified Detention and Deportation Campaign

Egypt has recently returned hundreds of Sudanese nationals as part of a new “voluntary” transportation scheme that is jointly administered by Egypt and Sudan. Although officials describe the initiative in humanitarian terms, the returns–in addition to the hundreds of thousands of additional “voluntary” returns that have been reported since last year–coincide with larger efforts by Egypt to ramp up the targeting of refugees and asylum seekers for detention and deportation. The crackdown is creating a climate of fear amongst refugee communities and has raised questions about whether the returns can be considered “voluntary.” […]

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Sudanese refugees prepare to board a train from Cairo to Aswan, 24 August 2025 (c) Egypt State Information Service

Urgent Appeal: Growing Threats to Refugees in Egypt

As new reports of massacres and famine emerge from the conflict in Sudan, Egypt seems poised to adopt a new asylum law that will threaten access to protection for those desperately fleeing the conflict while enabling their detention and refoulement without consideration of individual needs. […]

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Egypt: Detaining and Refouling Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Spiralling Conflict in Sudan

There are increasing calls for Egypt to stop its summary detention and deportation of Sudanese who are fleeing the escalating crisis in their country, as well as growing pressure on the European Union to take steps to prevent its aid to the country from being used to violate the rights of refugees. The conflict in […]

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Screenshot from video of Sudanese detainees reportedly taken from inside an Egyptian military warehouse located near the border town of Abu Simbel (March 2024).

Urgent Appeal on the Detention and Refoulement of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt

With the escalating conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese army and opposition paramilitary forces entering its twelfth month, the humanitarian crisis in the country continues to deteriorate, with important spill-over effects into neighbouring Egypt. As large numbers of Sudanese refugees have entered Egypt, Egyptian authorities have responded by ramping up arrests, arbitrary detentions, pushbacks, and […]

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Sudan: Covid-19 and Detention

Since early November, more than 27,000 Ethiopian refugees have fled the Tigray region and crossed into Sudan. According to UNHCR, on just one day–15 November–some 5,000 refugees arrived in Sudan’s border provinces of Kassala and al-Qadarif. Information campaigns are reported to have been initiated to ensure that refugees crossing into Sudan understand how to avoid […]

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Sudan Immigration Detention Data Profile (2019)

Sudan Detention Data (2019) The latest detention-related data from Sudan, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Sudan Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Sudan: Country Page Sudan: International Law […]

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