Unable to survive in Egypt, refugees from war-torn Sudan return home
The Hindu
Refugees from Sudan in Egypt face homelessness or perilous return home amid economic crisis and rising anti-refugee sentiment.
Ten months after the civil war erupted in Sudan, sending hundreds of thousands fleeing, many of those who sought refuge in neighbouring Egypt face a grim choice between homelessness and returning home at their own peril.
Single mother Rehab has been in Egypt for seven months, fighting to build a life for her children.
“I have a daughter who was born here, and I can’t work to provide for her,” the 28-year-old said.
Gathered in a small church in eastern Cairo, dozens of women like Rehab said their families — cramped into overcrowded apartments — have been sleeping on bare floors since they arrived.
“People came to Egypt thinking life will be better here,” said 28-year old Ibram Kiir, a Sunday school teacher from Sudan who has been in Egypt for five years and helps refugees through the church.
“But then reality hits. They do not have any money, they cannot get an apartment, it is cold and they cannot get winter clothes. So they turn back,” he said.
Since the fighting began in April between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, more than 4,50,000 people have crossed the border into Egypt, according to official figures.
The Election Commission of India will hold a press conference on June 3, a day before the counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha polls. Till the 2019 parliamentary polls, deputy election commissioners used to hold media briefings after each phase of polls, but the practice has been done away with.