Sudanese refugees face forced labor in Egypt
Omar Walid Siddiq, a 27-year-old Sudanese man, revealed that he and eight other Sudanese asylum seekers were subjected to forced detention inside the “Falcon” farm in the city of El-Alamein, Egypt.
According to Egyptian activists on social media, Omar shared that they fled the farm after being forced to work at gunpoint in inhumane conditions for a low daily wage of (150) Egyptian pounds, instead of the agreed-upon (250) pounds.
The young man indicated that the contractor responsible, named Ramadan, and his assistant, threatened them with a firearm and forced them to stay or pay (15,000) Egyptian pounds to cover the costs of returning to El-Alamein, in blatant violation of a previous agreement that stipulated covering transportation costs.
The group submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last Saturday, accompanied by photos and testimonies documenting the violations, calling for intervention to save them and guarantee their rights.
The incident highlights the difficult circumstances of Sudanese refugees who fled to Egypt, where they suffer from harsh working conditions, difficulty in securing adequate housing, and lack of adequate legal protection.
In regards to the incident, Nour Khalil, Executive Director of the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE), confirmed via Facebook that the incident represents a serious violation that amounts to human trafficking, calling for a fair official investigation and the enactment of laws that protect refugees and prevent the recurrence of such violations.
