Amnesty International accused Egypt of rounding up Sudanese refugees en masse and forcibly deporting them, urging authorities to stop these "unlawful" actions, in a report released Wednesday.
Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war and ensuing humanitarian crisis for over a year as rival generals from the regular armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces vie for power.
In its report, Amnesty said "3,000 people were deported to Sudan from Egypt in September 2023 alone", citing an estimate from the United Nations' refugee agency, the UNHCR.
The London-based rights group condemned their forced return to "an active conflict zone - without due process or opportunity to claim asylum in flagrant violation of international law".
'Inhuman conditions'
"It is unfathomable that Sudanese women, men and children fleeing the armed conflict in their country... are being rounded up en masse and arbitrarily detained in deplorable and inhumane conditions before being unlawfully deported," said Sara Hashash, Amnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
The United Nations says tens of thousands of Sudanese have been killed and more than nine million di splaced since the war broke out in April 2023.
In addition, it says around two million people have fled across Sudan's borders, including about half a million to Egypt.
But Amnesty estimates the real figure is higher, as many entered the country irregularly following Cairo's sudden decision to impose entry visas on all Sudanese in June last year.
Enter without visas
Prior to that move, Sudanese children, women and men aged 50 and above had been allowed to enter Egypt without visas.
Citing testimonies from Sudanese refugees, Amnesty said some were arrested while they were in hospital an d in the streets, "leaving many afraid to leave their homes".
It described as "cruel and inhumane" conditions in detention centres -- some of which were informal, including "a horse stable" inside a military complex.
It pointed to "overcrowding, lack of access to toilets and sanitation facilities, substandard and insufficient food, and denial of adequate healthcare" in those centres.
The report says the Egyptian authorities "forcibly returned at least 800 Sudanese detainees between January and March 2024".
EU 'complicity'
The rights group accused the European Union of possible "complicity" in rights abuses committed by the Egyptian authorities after it announced in March a 7.4 billion euro (about $8 billion) financial package to support Cairo, including 80 million euros to curb illegal migration to Europe.
"By cooperating with Egypt in the migration field without rigorous human rights safeguards, the EU risks complicity in Egypt's human rights violations," said Hashash.
Egypt does not authorise the establishment of refugee camps by the UN or other aid groups, arguing refugees and asylum seekers are not denied the right to seek work and travel freely in the country.
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