The Egyptian Labor Advisor in Khartoum Atef Daoud said Egyptian workers in Sudan are increasing day after day and that they are actually demanded. At the same time, though, he said he received every day young Egyptians wishing to go back to Cairo. In an exclusive interview to Al-Masry Al-Youm, he justifies this by saying that Egyptians wishing to travel are deluded into believing that the new Sudanese pound amounts to LE 4. This is wrong, though. In fact, he says it is a little bit higher than LE 2, while its purchase power is actually a little bit inferior to the one of the Egyptian pound. Daud estimates the number of Egyptian workers in Sudan at 40,000 to 50,000, saying there are no statistics to back these figures given that some workers enter the country with no visa. However, he says coordination is currently underway with the Sudanese authorities and the passport department to count Egyptians in Sudan. Daud says common Egyptian workers in Sudan have few job opportunities, while those working in technical domains have many. He also mentions the currently very high prices in Sudan and the cases of fraud carried out by some Egyptian companies – also with Sudanese companies – taking advantage of young Egyptian workers' needs. Daud says normal workers in Sudan need at least $300 to live as well as accommodation and transports. Yet, he affirms many Egyptian workers accept wages between $150 and $200, with the accommodation at their expense. He says this is not enough to live alone there, yet more and more Egyptian workers are coming to Sudan because of the visa exemption, cheaper travels, the illusion of the Sudanese currency, as well as the great growth and construction movement currently being witnessed by Sudan. Egyptian manpower in Sudan is mainly distributed in the fields of tourism services, especially restaurants, communications, oil and electricity. The advisor recommends the Egyptians who wish to work in Sudan that they should first sign a contract with the companies operating in this field and they should resort to the Ministry of Manpower to make sure that the contract is authentic. He said the ministry is kept up to date with all the problems of Egyptian manpower and is informed of companies violating the law. He also advises these workers to have a return ticket so that they may come back to Egypt smoothly if they have any problem. He says they should also get a certificate of vaccination in Egypt against chicken pox and malaria, as it is expensive to have one issued in Sudan. He also says Sudan imposes a 35-sudanese pound fee to leave the country by plane and a 75-pound fee to leave by land. He adds that Egyptian drivers find no job in Sudan as there are already enough local workers in this field. He then adds that Sudanese companies need a great guarantee if someone wishes to work in this field. He points out that some professions are banned for the Egyptians, such as working as secretaries and hair-dressers, although women are allowed to work as nurses. Daud praises the Sudanese authorities for their cooperation and thanks them for their support to him to investigate into the complaints lodged by Egyptian workers and help them implement contracts and regain what is due to them in case they have a dispute with their employer. He warns that more and more frauds are being committed against young Egyptians deluded into believing that it is easy to travel to and work in Europe via Sudan. He says a large number of frauds have been unveiled, as emigration brokers charge young Egyptians LE 30,000 to LE 50,000 to send them to Sudan and from there to Greece or Turkey and then to other European countries. He says those brokers forge visas and residence permits for the European countries to which it is possible to go via Khartoum. In most cases, though, these youngsters are caught and sent back to Sudan and then to Egypt.
