Over 81K people crossed into Egypt from Sudan as of May 10: UNHCR

CAIRO – 13 May 2023: A total of 81,172 People has crossed into Egypt from Sudan, including 76,135 Sudanese and 5,037 third-country national as of May 10 according to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the UNHCR Egypt in a statement on Thursday.

“The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has reiterated its commitment to keeping the border open and to not implementing an encampment policy. They have also highlighted the support required for host communities across Egypt, who are receiving the large number of recent arrivals,” the statement read.

The number of new asylum seekers who called the UNHCR Egypt for international protection in the period between April 18 and May 10 reached more than 2,587, the vast majority of whom are Sudanese people, the statement continued.

The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) registered between around 4,700 and 4,800 daily arrivals from Sudan although the number of the daily arrival slightly declined since May 3, the statement continued.

“UNHCR has so far provided 40,800 bottles of water, 10,000 hygiene kits and 5,000 packs of sanitary napkins to be distributed to newly arrived people at the border,” the statement read.

Since the outbreak of clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Sudanese Rapid Forces (SRF) on April 15, 2023, large number of people have been evacuated from Sudan to other neighboring countries, while other thousands were forcedly displaced internally.

In the first days of the clashes, the number of displaced Sudanese through the southern land crossings between Egypt and Sudan, led by the Al-Qastal and Arqin crossings, exceeded 14,000, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Additionally, the Egyptian Red Crescent Society has established a humanitarian relief center at Arqin crossing to provide humanitarian and relief services to the displaced. These services included psychological support services, medicines, snacks, and telephone and electronic means of communication.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the Sudanese parties to give priority to political dialogue and national consensus, and to support the higher interests of the brotherly Sudanese people, during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Recently, both conflicting sides reached an agreement to deescalate the situation by signing Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, under the brokerage of Saudi Arabia and the US.