reuters.com
2026-06-26
Egypt rejects the claims that it is unwelcoming to refugees. It took in more than a million people when war broke out in Sudan in 2023, acting as a buffer to those who might otherwise continue north to Europe. But authorities, facing an economic crisis and rising anti-migrant sentiment, have since taken an increasingly strict line with a series of arrests and deportations.
Starting late last year, plain-clothes security officers have detained thousands of refugees and other migrants in homes and workplaces, pulling them off streets into unmarked vehicles, according to 45 refugees, seven lawyers and eight advocates. The reporting found some were leaving Egypt and taking their chances in war-torn Sudan rather than risk being separated from their families and deported. Others have gone into hiding, at a time activists warn a newly implemented law risks further eroding asylum protections.