Sudanese flee to Egypt as Cairo works to avoid “refugee crisis”

As tens of thousands of Sudanese people stream north over the border into Egypt fleeing violence, stories of days-long delays at the border are emerging, with travellers suffering in the heat without food, water, or shelter.

However, observers say the mass exodus developing into a refugee crisis for Egypt seems unlikely for now, Al Jazeera reports.

Sudan erupted into violence two weeks ago as the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), spearheaded by General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, attacked each other with helpless civilians caught in the crossfire.

Fighter jets thundered overhead as foreign governments and international organisations evacuated their citizens and foreign staff and Sudanese people began moving to the borders to escape.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has recently tweeted: “UNHCR estimates that more than 50,000 people have now fled Sudan to Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and the Central African Republic — this includes Sudanese nationals and refugees forced to return to their countries by the ongoing fighting. The outflow will grow unless violence stops. An estimated 50,000 people had fled Sudan to Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic – and the numbers were expected to grow.”

At the border with Egypt, refugees have to wait for days to cross, with many having to spend the wait without food or water. Only the Red Crescent can help refugees; human rights organisations are not allowed at the border. Meanwhile, in Egypt itself, travel prices have risen five to 10 times since the start of the crisis, complicating the refugees' financial situation.