3RP organization praises Egypt approach to Syrian refugees’ crisis

CAIRO – 1 March 2017: Egypt’s social inclusiveness of Syrian refugees could be a model for other countries to consider, according to the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). The group praised the way Egypt has handled the Syrian refugee crisis in its annual report on the crisis, issued Wednesday.


The report noted that Egypt continues to host Syrian refugees despite the absence of a land border with Syria. As of September 2016 there were 117,350 Syrian asylum seekers - including 50,697 children - registered with the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt.


The report said Egyptian government policy allows for the reunification of Syrian families separated by the crisis in Syria by providing entry visas for first-degree relatives of Syrian refugees already residing in Egypt. The report added, however, that Syrian families are experiencing delays in processing these visa requests.


Most of the 500,000 Syrian refugees living in Egypt reside in cities; there are no refugee camps in Egypt, the report added, and refugees have access to public education and healthcare.

Irregular departures by asylum seekers and refugees by sea continue to increase, the report said, despite efforts to strengthen coping and the recovery of Syrian refugees and host communities, as well as to support state institutions. Some refugees lose hope that the conflict in Syria will be resolved and, perceiving a lack of opportunities in Egypt, this spurs some of them to seek entry into Europe, the 3RP report added. It also said that in some instances Syrian refugees have been arrested by Egyptian authorities for trying to depart in what it described as an “irregular” manner.