“He forced himself on me and raped me. The pain was
unbearable. I cried, pleaded with him, and told him ‘I will
give you money, I will give you anything you ask for. Just let
me go. But the driver continued assaulting me. Afterwards, the
only thing I could feel was the movement of the car. I was
naked from the waist down, wishing to die”.
With tears rolling down his face, 22-year-old Saeed recounted
the details of the rape he was subjected to in January 2024,
while making the journey from Sudan to Egypt. The young man
had fled harassment from both sides of the conflict in Sudan,
and headed to Egypt in the hopes of finishing college and
finding work to support his family.
Saeed is one of the thousands of Sudanese refugees who have
fallen victim to human trafficking gangs near Al Kassara area,
(the region of the quarries), just half an hour’s drive away
from Aswan. This area is plagued by gangs that target Sudanese
nationals who have been forced to flee the armed conflict and
seek refuge in Egypt.
These gangs exploit the fact that some Sudanese refugees have
entered the country through irregular channels, in order to
subject many of them to violations ranging from sexual
harassment and robbery to threats and exploitation, or even
physical and sexual assault. Sometimes, these violations can
escalate to detention or abduction for ransom.
Although the Aswan police station is less than a half-hour
drive from Al Kassarat, this short distance places Sudanese
refugees crossing the border beyond the reach of security
surveillance.As they have entered the country illegally and
are not officially registered with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sudanese refugees cannot
file official reports with the police against their abusers.
To register with the UNHCR, refugees must travel more than
1,000 kilometers through dangerous areas to reach its offices
in Cairo. They then face a waiting period of six months to a
year, during which they have no valid residency permits.
The investigation team identified the types of violations
committed against Sudanese refugees during their journey to
Egypt, as a result of their entry into Egyptian territory via
irregular channels. This process was based on interviews
conducted with seven people, including Saeed, who were
subjected to rape, as well as five others who were subjected
to sexual harassment. There were also 11 cases of robbery or
abduction for ransom, in addition to a survey of 324 Sudanese
refugees in Egypt.
Suha and Saeed: Dreams of a Safe Haven Shattered by Rape
Never in his worst nightmares did the young college student
imagine that leaving Sudan—after his university studies were
suspended and he had suffered harassment from both warring
parties—would lead him into what he describes as a
“catastrophe.”
The car carrying Saeed and others set off from Sidon in the
Sudanese city of Atbara, and travelled across the desert to
Aswan. The journey cost 400,000 Sudanese pounds per person,
equivalent to $470 at the time.
January 4, 2024 is a date clearly etched in the memory of the
22-year-old. It was the day he decided to leave his country and
enter Egypt illegally. “When we reached the Egyptian border,” he
says, “we switched cars and rode in a vehicle with two drivers
who took turns behind the wheel. One of the men asked me to pay
extra fees before I got in the car, but I refused. We fought and
the other travellers broke up the fight. Then the car started
moving towards Al Kassara (the quarry area)”.
Then, Saeed set off from Al Kassara in an auto rickshaw
(tuk-tuk) also carrying a woman and her two children, bound for
Aswan. Recounting the details of his traumatic ordeal, the young
man said: “The driver told us there was a security checkpoint
nearby, then drove down a slope into a valley surrounded by
mountains. There, we were intercepted by a minivan. They
abducted me, leaving the woman behind. They beat me severely and
took my phone, passport and all my belongings. Inside the car, I
was surprised to see the driver I had argued with, who told me
‘I will rape you so you do not defy me again’”.
In a hoarse voice , Saeed adds: “I cried and pleaded with him to
stop but he raped me until the pain became unbearable. Then he
left me naked and wishing for death”.
As a result of the “extremely brutal rape” he was subjected to,
Saeed developed “haemorrhoids and an anal fissure,” according to
a medical report. Surgery is required for recovery, costing
25,000 Egyptian pounds ($500), which Saeed cannot afford. In
addition to enduring physical pain, Saeed suffers from
psychological trauma and a constant feeling of “inferiority.” He
concludes his testimony by saying: “I would rather die than go
through what I went through.”
Mass Violations
A volunteer involved in a community initiative in Aswan says she
learned that six refugees had been subjected to anal rape. Four
of the victims were male, aged between 10 and 22, and one of
them was raped by seven people who took turns assaulting him.
The cases also included two girls aged 15 and 17. The latter
took her own life due to the psychological trauma she had
experienced.
There are no statistics available on the number of Sudanese
nationals subjected to cross-border abuse en route to Egypt
following the armed conflict in their country. However, an
activist from the “Brotherly Volunteer Initiative,” which aims
to support Sudanese families in Aswan (who asked to remain
anonymous) attributed this to the difficulty of documenting
events due to the dangerous nature of the region. Additionally,
victims do not file police reports on the matter, for fear of
deportation as they lack personal identification papers.
The investigation team conducted a survey of 324 Sudanese
refugees in Egypt, 273 of whom entered the country illegally
through the desert border. Survey results show that four out of
every 100 female refugees were raped upon entering Egyptian
territory, while 10 out of every 100 experienced sexual
harassment.
In addition to the survey results, the investigation team met
with seven survivors who said they had been raped, either in the
vicinity of the Al Kassara area, or after they had been lured
from there to residential apartments in Aswan City.
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We also met three people who claimed to have been harassed.
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Suha is a Sudanese woman who has lost her husband in the war,
and was caught in an ambush set up by eight masked men, armed
with shotguns and daggers. The ambush targeted a 14-passenger
minibus carrying Suha, her two children and a number of Sudanese
refugees. The assault happened about half an hour after they
departed Al Kassara region, heading towards Al-Sadaqa
neighbourhood in the Aswan Governorate, the penultimate stop on
their journey to Egypt to flee war. Suha had begun this journey
on July 18, 2024.
“They took the driver and his companion to a pick up truck and
told us they would be confiscating the car and would be leaving
us,” Suha said. “But they escorted us to an isolated area
surrounded by tall mountains, and shouted: Everyone take out
everything you have. So everyone took out everything they were
carrying. They took my phone and 8,000 Egyptian pounds
(approximately $150), in addition to 20,000 Sudanese pounds and
48 grams of golden jewellery I was hiding in my hair tie. They
found them when one of them began searching me and put his hand
on my head. I tried resisting him, to stop him from taking the
jewellery, as it was all I had left and I had intended to use it
to rent an apartment and place my children in school”.
“Another man put a gun to my daughter’s neck, while two others
tied my hands behind my back and threw me to the ground. They
tore off my clothes and raped me while my children screamed. My
seven-year-old son begged them, saying: leave my mom alone. But
they hit him in the face,” she adds.
Suha continues: “One girl tried to defend me, so two of them
took turns to rape her. A third man raped a mother of three.”
A few days after the incident, Suha went to Aswan University
Hospital for a medical examination, fearing that she might be
pregnant. There, she met a psychologist who prescribed her
sedatives. Suha describes what she is going through with great
sadness: “I think a lot about what happened. I lie awake until
daybreak, feeling disgusted with myself and convinced that
everyone thinks badly of me. My daughter never leaves my side,
not even when I go to the toilet. She has developed a fear of
crowds and of anyone wearing a mask.”
Suha currently works in a restaurant that sells Sudanese food,
earning 100 Egyptian pounds (about $2) a day, which does not
cover her children’s school fees.
The investigation team also met with five other victims of
robbery and detention for ransom.
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The survey also revealed that 33 out of every 100 Sudanese refugees had been robbed, while five out of every 200 had been physically assaulted, and eight out of every 100 had been kidnapped and held for ransom. The results also showed that three out of every ten Sudanese refugees had been financially exploited, and five out of every 20 refugees had faced threats or intimidation.
According to UNHCR, violations suffered by people fleeing
conflict, violence or persecution are classified as “human
trafficking,” an involuntary crime in which victims are
exploited. Smuggling, on the other hand, is classified as a
“voluntary crime.” A smuggling case can become human trafficking
if the victims are exploited, for example by being held for
ransom, or to pay off a smuggling debt.
The violations suffered by some Sudanese refugees began with
their arrival in Egypt following the outbreak of armed conflict
in Sudan on April 15, 2023. The cases of abuse escalated once
the Egyptian authorities imposed a visa requirement for all
Sudanese nationals wishing to enter Egyptian territory, just 50
days after the outbreak of the conflict. Previously, women,
children and the elderly had been permitted to enter without a
visa.
Obtaining a complimentary visa from the Egyptian consulate in
Halfa or Port Sudan was extremely difficult—a process that could
take up to three months—while security clearances were
prohibitively expensive, costing between $2,000 and $3,000. As a
result, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese nationals entered
Egypt through irregular channels, crossing the 1,280-kilometer
stretch of desert between the two countries to escape the armed
conflict devastating their homeland.
The Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR) has stated that the
Egyptian decision to ban Sudanese nationals from entering the
country without a prior visa is contrary to international
agreements concerning refugees and persons fleeing to
neighbouring countries during times of conflict and disaster.
The ENHR added that this decision violates the Four Freedoms
Agreement signed by Egypt and Sudan in 2004, which guarantees
freedom of movement without visa, work and residence without
restrictions.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.5
million people have arrived in Egypt since the armed conflict
erupted in Sudan. Less than half of this number have been
registered with UNHCR.
Crimes Without Punishment
Suha changed her mind about reporting the incident to the
police, after a psychologist at a state hospital in Aswan
frightened her by saying: “You will get yourself into big
trouble.” The woman justified this warning by reminding Suha
that she had entered the country illegally, and had no personal
documentation.
According to Egyptian asylum lawyer Fadia Khadrawi, newly
arrived refugees cannot file police reports because they lack
the prerequisites: valid residence permits and a fixed address.
Refugees also fear deportation due to illegally entering the
country, and not being registered with the UNHCR.
Khadrawi holds the UNHCR responsible for the impunity of those
committing abuses and violations, noting that the agency has no
offices or staff in Aswan Governorate to register newly arrived
refugees. She explains that the only UNHCR office is located in
Cairo, 900 kilometers from the border, leaving refugees
vulnerable to arrest and deportation during their long journey
north.
“If an asylum seeker encounters any problem on the border,”
Khadrawi adds, “they must head to the UNHCR for registration,
and request official refugee status to be able to report (the
abuse). UNHCR must deal with these cases without delay and grant
them official status.”
In contrast, the UN set up Blue Dot Hubs along and near some European borders to register Ukrainian refugees. However, this was not offered to Sudanese asylum seekers on the Egyptian border.
What are the Rights of Sudanese Asylum Seekers?
Absence of Legal Protection
The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who
"owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of
race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social
group or political opinion, is outside the country of (their)
nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling
to avail (themselves) of the protection of that country.”
A refugee is granted international protection under The 1951
Refugee Convention (also known as the Geneva Convention) and the
1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.
Egypt ratified the Geneva Convention and the Protocol as well as
the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention of 1969
Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa.
These agreements grant refugees a range of rights, including
prohibiting states from penalizing refugees for illegal entry or
presence, provided they present themselves to authorities
without delay. They also protect refugees from deportation or
forced return, along with the right to litigation before the
courts and access to the justice system.
Article 31 of the Geneva Convention prohibits contracting states
from penalizing refugees for illegal entry or presence, provided
they present themselves to authorities without delay and show
good cause for their illegal entry or presence.
Egypt passed Law No. 164 of 2024, on foreign refugees in Egypt,
which is considered the most recent national legal reference for
regulating the status of refugees and asylum seekers in the
country. The law requires refugees to register in order to
obtain a legal ‘refugee’ status.
Human Rights Watch condemned this law, saying that it
criminalizes the refugees’ illegal entry, and the informal
assistance to asylum seekers. It further added that the law will
not protect their rights, and enables authorities to arbitrarily
withdraw their right to asylum.
Nour Khalil, Executive Director of the Refugees Platform, notes
that legislators criminalized refugees over their illegal entry
in Laws No. 164 of 2024 and No. 82 of 2016 on Combating Illegal
Migration and Smuggling of Migrants. They failed to provide
adequate protection for irregular migrants as victims, in
accordance with the 1951 Geneva Convention.
Khalil explains that it takes refugees between 8 and 12 months
to complete their registration with the UNHCR in Cairo.
Throughout this period, and until they are officially registered
and have obtained a valid residency permit, asylum seekers are
denied services and stripped of legal protection. They are also
vulnerable to arrest and deportation for “residing illegally in
the country” under Egyptian law, as he says.
He emphasizes the importance of using the term “refugee” to
describe those fleeing the conflict in Sudan, as it gives them a
recognized legal status. This designation enables them to claim
protection, register with the appropriate authorities, and
access the range of rights guaranteed under international
conventions.
‘The Palermo Protocol’, or the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
and Punish Trafficking in Persons, which supplements the UN
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, stipulates
that human trafficking and migrant smuggling must be combated.
The Protocol imposed on states to take legislative and other
measures for prevention, protection and the assistance of
victims. The Protocol criminalizes the smuggling of migrants by
land, sea and air and ensures that the rights of migrants and
refugees are not violated during smuggling operations.
According to Egyptian Law No. 64 of 2010, those guilty of human
trafficking are subject to severe penalties, including
imprisonment and/or fines.
Khadrawi affirms that Sudanese nationals seeking asylum in Egypt
are entitled to protection, as Egypt is a state party to the
Refugee Convention. By ratifying the Convention, Egypt is
obligated to safeguard the lives, safety, and property of asylum
seekers and to uphold their dignity, whether or not they possess
a UNHCR registration card, commonly known as the yellow card.
She adds that refugees have the right to file a complaint with
the Egyptian authorities against any person or entity that has
committed a violation against them, after they had registered
with the UNHCR.
Ashraf Roxy, an Egyptian asylum lawyer, says: “As long as a
displaced person is not registered with the UNHCR, they have no
protection whatsoever and can be subject to deportation and
imprisonment.” He explains that “Egypt places national law above
international agreements. Law No. 89 of 1960, on the Entry,
Residence, and Exit of Foreigners, as amended by Law No. 88 of
2005, imposes harsher penalties on individuals entering the
country from areas other than those specified by the Minister of
Interior. Infiltrating the country or entering through smuggling
is a crime punishable by law.”
Another legal opinion states that, once ratified, international
instruments acquire the force of national law, are equal to it,
and are subject to the principle of ‘lex posterior derogat
priori,’ meaning that new law takes precedence over older law.
Others believe that the provisions of international legal
instruments take precedence over national legislation.
Smuggling Routes and Perpetrators
The investigation team tracked four irregular journeys taken by
Sudanese refugees, interviewed three smugglers operating between
Sudan and Egypt, and identified four smuggling routes between
the two countries.
The first route sets off in Atbara, Sudan, passing through Abu
Hamad and Al-Abyar before reaching Al Kassara and then Aswan in
Egypt. The results of the survey and interviews indicate that
the 21 cases of various violations occurred in the Al-Abyar
area. The second route begins in Halfa, and passes through
Al-Rataj to reach Al Kassara and then Aswan. The third route
sets off in Port Sudan and passes through Al-Ansari to reach Al
Kassara and Aswan.
The First route
Finally, another crossing was set up through Wadi al-Lawi, 60
kilometres from Aswan. This is an alternative route to the Al
Kassara road where most violations occur. However, it is both
further away and more expensive, costing around 3,000 Egyptian
pounds ($61) compared to 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($40) to pass
through Al Kassara.
Regarding security presence on smuggling routes, both the
smugglers and the Sudanese nationals we met after they had made
their journey to Egypt, disclosed that smugglers tend to
circumvent checkpoints and areas where security forces are
stationed along the border. Police stations are far from the
sites of violations, with only the Nasr al-Nuba, Balana, and
Kalabisha police stations in the vicinity.
A smuggler who transports people to Aswan told the investigation
team that smugglers travel in groups of three vehicles. The
first vehicle is a scout car whose mission is to inform the
others of any police checkpoints. In such a scenario, they veer
off course and stop at a hideout, a cache, until the police
leave. These caches are mountainous areas that the police cannot
see. The smuggler added that they had learned camouflage and
concealment skills, how to cross the desert without leaving a
trace, and how to travel on roads a few kilometres away from any
police presence.
Saeed took the first route while Suha took the second. Neither
route had sufficient security presence to protect them from the
violations they suffered.
The Second route
The Third route
An analysis of interviews with 23 Sudanese refugees who
experienced violations at the border during their journey to
Egypt, as well as with local activists and smugglers, revealed
that the perpetrators of these abuses fall into three
categories. The first category consists of armed gangs that are
almost permanently based in the desert, living in tents and rest
stops. The second category consists of mobile gangs who ambush
refugees and sometimes coordinate their activity with smugglers.
The third category consists of drivers who exploit refugees in
various ways.
Saeed and Suha fell victim to the second category of gangs, when
they were intercepted by armed gangsters on their way to Aswan.
Regarding the possibility of victims, including Saeed and Suha,
filing police reports at a later date, lawyer Nour Khalil says
that delays in prosecution deprive victims of their rights, and
contribute to the perpetrators’ impunity. The ability of victims
to prove what they went through weakens over time, as they
forget crucial details of their testimony. This makes it more
difficult for the police to pursue and apprehend the
perpetrators.
Click the dots for details
Aswan (Egypt)
The southern gateway to Egypt and the first point to receive Sudanese refugees arriving from the desert.
Al Kassara (Egypt)
Located south of Aswan on the Wadi al-Allaqi road, about 20 kilometers away from the city. From here, refugees travel by pickup trucks to Aswan.
Wadi Halfa (Sudan)
A northern border town in Sudan, 345 kilometers from Aswan.
Abu Hamad (Sudan)
Located 538 kilometers north of Khartoum, with a station where drivers of smuggler vehicles bound for Aswan gather.
Port Sudan (Sudan)
Smuggling trips set off from the public marketplace in the coastal city.
Al Rataj (Swapping point )
Border stop to switch between Sudanese and Egyptian vehicles It has a simple market and tents made of cloth (burlap).
Al-Ansari (Swapping point)
A gathering point for smugglers heading to Egypt.
Al Abyar (Swapping point)
Border stop to switch between Sudanese and Egyptian vehicles. It has a market, cafes, and rest tents.
Atbara (Sudan)
A city in River Nile governorate, considered a link between northern and eastern Sudan
Obstacles Facing UNHCR
Saeed and Suha turned to UNHCR for help, but were met with
disappointment. After Saeed gave a UNHCR staff member a detailed
account of what had happened to him- disclosing his urgent need
for surgery and psychological support- all he received in return
was a piece of paper with the contact details of some partner
organisations. As for Suha, she received no support whatsoever,
whether financial aid or food assistance, save for one
psychological support session at Aswan University Hospital where
a doctor prescribed her medication to take occasionally.
In March 2025, the UNHCR suspended all medical treatment for
refugees, except in life-threatening emergencies. Two months
later, it reduced the number of beneficiaries of its cash
assistance programme, limiting it to the families most in need.
The UNHCR has warned that the suspension of basic healthcare
programmes, increased risks or infectious disease outbreaks and
reduction of mental health services and food assistance, pose a
risk to the health of millions of refugees around the world.
The decline in support and response levels in Egypt has
coincided with a surge in the number of refugees and asylum
seekers. Their total number now stands at nearly one million
people, up from the 271,000 people registered with the UNHCR in
January 2022. Seven out of ten refugees are Sudanese nationals.
UNHCR has estimated the funding gap for refugee support
programmes in Egypt at around $98 million in 2025. The refugee
agency has only managed to raise $40 million out of the $138
million it needs.
Both Saeed and Suha contacted UNHCR, seeking to register and
receive the organisation’s protection and services. Although
Suha visited UNHCR offices in July 2024, her appointment to
receive the “refugee ID” was set for April 2025. For his part,
Saeed will complete his residency process in August 2025.
Since being raped in January 2024, Saeed rarely leaves his
relatives’ house in Cairo, if at all. His debilitating health
condition prevents him from working; he has infected
haemorrhoids and is suffering from constant bleeding due to the
delay in receiving the surgery he requires but cannot afford. To
this day, he remains unable to take any action against his
attackers at the border.
Meanwhile, UNHCR is facing an international funding crisis,
which has forced it to lay off a third of its staff members and
suspend its regular field missions to the border area.
The UNHCR in Egypt responded to the findings of this
investigation, explaining the situation of Sudanese refugees in
Egypt and the abuse they suffer. The refugee agency also
clarified the extent to which it is able to process asylum cases
given the difficulties it is facing.
UNHCR recognises the enormous challenges faced by persons forced
to flee the conflict in Sudan in search of a safe refuge. Now in
its third year, this conflict has created the world’s biggest
displacement crisis: over 12 million Sudanese citizens are
displaced, with an estimated 1.5 million having crossed into
Egypt, over 700,000 of whom are registered with UNHCR. Egypt has
welcomed the largest number of Sudanese refugees compared to all
neighbouring countries, while it also hosts some 263,619 refugees
from other nationalities. This has put a strain on its public
services.
Refugees face enormous challenges and multiple protection risks
while crossing the border in search of a safe haven. UNHCR and its
partners continue to advocate for refugees, to ensure that those
fleeing conflict are granted international protection and basic
services such as healthcare and education in accordance with
international and national law.
The UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations were deeply
affected by the global funding crisis. As a result, the
organization was forced to reduce its staff by nearly a third.
While it does not have government permission to set up a permanent
presence on the border with Sudan. Funding cuts have also forced
it to suspend its regular field missions to the border area. In
addition, these cuts have forced UNHCR to close two of its
registration centers, and registration is now centralized in
Cairo. The huge number of refugees, combined with reduced
capacity, is resulting in longer waiting times for registration.
These realities are beyond UNHCR control, and it deeply regrets
them. Together with its partners, it has called for increased
international support to help alleviate the situation. The UN
Refugee Agency has also launched an online registration tool for
newly arrived refugees, and is implementing a fast-track queuing
system to prioritize individuals who face heightened risks, and
persons with specific needs. These persons include individuals
facing the risk of human trafficking and survivors of gender-based
violence.
UNHCR notes that the primary responsibility for refugee protection
lies with the state. In Egypt, UNHCR supports the government,
based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 1954, in
carrying out its mandated responsibilities, such as registration,
asylum documentation, and refugee status determination. At the
same time, UNHCR supports the Egyptian government in gradually
transitioning to a national asylum system, based on the national
asylum law enacted in December 2024.
In April 2025, the UNHCR issued a guidance note on the
international protection needs of persons fleeing Sudan, in which
it reiterated its previous “call on all countries to allow
civilians of all nationalities fleeing Sudan timely and
non-discriminatory access to their territories and to respect the
principle of non-refoulement at all times.”
UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies are not granted access to
detention centers in Egypt. However, UNHCR reports any information
it receives about the arrest and detention of refugees and asylum
seekers to the relevant authorities, which in the vast majority of
cases leads to their release.
Conversely, the Egyptian government, represented by the Cabinet,
failed to respond to the investigation team’s questions regarding
efforts to protect Sudanese refugees during their illegal border
crossing into Egypt.
*Names of interviewees have been changed for their safety.
This is a joint investigation by ARIJ and Al Mohajer
