How did Egypt alleviate suffering of Sudanese people fleeing military conflict in Sudan?

CAIRO – 28 May 2023: Egypt has received a total of 164,000 Sudanese people so far since the outbreak of the military conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the Sudanese Rapid Forces (SRF) in mid-April 2023, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid on his Twitter account.

He added that thousands of visas have been issued to Sudanese nationals, while 157 cases were given intensive care. Also, 120 major surgeries and 100 dialysis cases were conducted.

Abu Zeid continued that 15,000 hygiene kits were provided to them and the transportation services were provided for free.

Unrestricted access to healthcare, education, and other basic services were also provided, Abu Zeid added.

In addition to this, a humanitarian Center was established by the Egyptian Red Crescent at border crossings.

Egypt is keen on giving the Sudanese people the right to freedom of movement like Egyptian nationals as there is no border closure, no refugee camps, no discriminatory measures and no forced returns.

In a speech at the summit of the African Peace and Security Council on the crisis in Sudan via video conference on Saturday, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi called Egypt’s efforts in receiving Sudanese people and solving the crisis through four determinants.

“Egypt has received about 150,000 Sudanese citizens to date since [the outbreak of the crisis in Sudan], in addition to hosting [already] about 5 million Sudanese citizens,” said President Sisi, calling on relief agencies and donor countries to provide the necessary support to neighboring countries.

The President added that Egypt as a main neighboring country to Sudan made intensive contacts with all effective parties and regional and international partners, calling for a certain number determinants, which are:

1-  The need to reach a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, and not only temporary for humanitarian purposes.

2- The necessity of preserving the national state institutions in Sudan to protect the state from the danger of collapse.

3- The conflict in Sudan is a matter for the Sudanese themselves. The role of regional parties is to help stop the conflict and achieve consensus on resolving the causes that led to it. So, Egypt affirms its respect for the will of the Sudanese people, non-interference in its internal affairs, and the importance of not allowing external interference in its current crisis.

4- The necessity for coordination to deal with the humanitarian repercussions of the Sudanese crisis as they extend beyond the borders of Sudan.