Nov
16
Gunning Down Refugees
Filed Under African Migrants, Egypt | Leave a Comment
A new report issued by Human Rights Watch calls on Egypt to inhibit the movement of African migrants toward theEgyptian-Israeli border, and calls into question the Egyptian government’s “shoot to kill” policy which has seen 33 people killed since July of 2007. The report also questions the Israeli policy of returning these migrants to Egypt, where they face the harsh reality of racism, unemployment and poverty:
Israel has long told Cairo to do more to inhibit the movement of people across their border. But the rights organization was also critical of the Jewish state, saying that it should not immediately return to Egypt potential asylum-seekers where they could face deportation to nations with well-documented human rights violations.
“Despite the violations of refugee rights on the Egyptian side, Israel had returned many people back into the custody of the Egyptian border police,” Van Esveld said.
Some activists in Israel have started questioning their government’s policy of return, suggesting that as Jews themselves they should consider giving those who are seeking a reprieve from genocide the opportunity to remain.
“Both Egypt and Israel have responded to this cross-border flow with policies that violate fundamental rights,” said the report.
This problem has been well documented, and it’s good to see a detailed report out on the issue. It won’t be solved, however, until the policies of both Israel and Egypt toward African migrants are adjusted. Egyptian soldiers are given orders to shoot fleeing migrants in an effort to stem the flow of people crossing the Israeli border, while Israel returns the majority of migrants to Egypt where they must deal with the reality they’ve tried to escape from.
While I lived in Egypt, I remember passing by a square in Mohandeseen regularly, a wealthy suburb of Cairo, where a large group of African refugees were staging a protest near the office of the UNHCR. It was more of a sit-in protest (depticted in the image above), and their presence was visible for months, but was hardly felt. A group of well-intentioned Egyptians had offered them supplies (from baby formula to blankets and food) to blunt their social poverty, only to have their overture rejected. Their message was clear; they wanted to leave Egypt, to experience a life with more promise in a country that offered such a reality. On December 30th, 27 of those refugees were killed when Egyptian security forces removed them from the square, transferring them to holding stations only to be realeased into a society that promised them no comfort. It was clear then, and it should be clear now, that the policies governing the lives of African migrants living in Egypt need to change.