CAIRO: Egypt on Sunday arrested 55 Sudanese migrants attempting to cross the Sinai border into Israel, security officials said. According to officials in the area, the 55 Sudanese, including 9 women and 6 children, were discovered when the vehicle they were in was stopped at a checkpoint early in the morning. One security official told Bikya Masr on Sunday that the driver had been paid around $1,000 per person to smuggle them from Egypt into Israel. The truck was stopped at the crossing into the Sinai Peninsula and were taken to Suez for questioning by police. Since the beginning of this year, border police have killed at least 45 people and wounded over 100 more in border shootings. Last month at least three African migrants were shot and killed along the border and dozens arrested. International and local rights groups have condemned the continued use of violence to stop African migrants, saying the migrants are not a threat to police. Africans in Egypt complain of poor living conditions and bad treatment at the hands of their host nation. Many see Israel as the next best solution for their troubles and are willing to risk death to reach the Jewish state, refugees in Egypt have repeatedly said. Ali, a Somali refugee in Cairo, told Bikya Masr that living in Egypt is “one of the worst things I have experienced in my life.” He points to racism and lack of opportunities as the main hardships. He was the victim of police's heavy hand in Egypt a few years ago when he and two roommates were held in connection with the murder of an elderly man in their building. According to Ali, the two Somali men and one woman were detained for 9 months without charge and were “tortured on a regular basis.” He says life is hard. “I know a lot of people who would rather risk being killed on the border than continue to sit around Cairo and be faced with all these troubles because of our status. We can't even work,” he said. Dozens of Africans have been shot dead by Egyptian police in recent years, as refugees and migrants continue to complain of poor treatment and conditions inside Egypt. BM
