War in Sudan: As in Kabul, Sudanese are desperate to flee the country

As foreign governments rescued hundreds of their diplomats and other citizens, the Sudanese desperately searched on Monday ways to escape the chaos, the ninth day of factional fighting by two rival generals. They fear that once the foreigners leave, the war for control of the country will be all-out.

With the same fear that existed among Afghans when the Taliban took control of Kabul after the United States left Afghanistan, the Sudanese are now also trying to flee.

evacuations they are dramatic. In convoys, foreign diplomats, workers and families made their way past fighters on tense front lines in the capital Khartoum to reach extraction points, or even drove hundreds of miles to the country’s east coast.

A group of European and Middle Eastern military aircraft flew all day Sunday, through the night and into Monday to transport them. France and Germany said more flights would be possible if security conditions allowed. Truces are needed for these extractions; ceasefires that last only a day or not at all.

But for many Sudanese, the airlift was a terrifying sign that international powers, after repeatedly failing to negotiate a global ceasefire, they just expect the fighting to get worse which led the population to disaster.

During the nine days of war in Khartoum and other cities, millions of people were trapped in their homes by explosions, gunfire and armed fighters looting the streets as the food runs out and hospitals are on the verge of collapse.

to egypt

Many Sudanese, along with Egyptians and other foreigners unable to catch flights, risked doing so the long and dangerous journey to the border to the north with Egypt.

“How and from where to get to Egypt” and “please bus driver numbers from Khartoum to Egyptian border”. These are some of the phrases that are most repeated on social networks among Sudanese users who are desperate to flee to their neighbor Egypt.

“The steps Sudanese take to enter Egypt start with reach one of the crossroads terrestrial between Egypt and Sudan. People get together and book buses that allow them to cross, the cost ranges from $135 to $200,” says the organization’s executive director. Platform for refugees in Egypt, Nur Khalil.

Several users are already sharing their ride, which could take up to thirteen hours from Khartoum to the borderand respond to those who have doubts on social networks, a life-saving tool for the Sudanese since the bloody conflict between two military rivals began on the 15th and which has so far caused more than 420 deaths.

Open borders for all?

So far, Egypt has not pronounced itself on the number of Sudanese who are entering Sudan driven by the conflict or on the requirements they ask of those who want to enter their territory.

“Officially, so far the Egyptian authorities have not communicated any information on who can enter without a visa, who cannot and how to obtain that document; nor have they announced or clarified the measures for seeking asylum at border crossings, nor what the procedures are,” Khalil said.

The manager, whose NGO works with Sudanese and non-Sudanese fleeing conflict zones to Egypt, as well as Documentary violations against immigrants and refugeeshe recalled that both countries have a bilateral agreement of freedom of movement and residency in force since 2004.

“Egypt and Sudan are two brother countries with common relations, history and culture. The crisis that could occur is the return or the impossibility for people to enter a country to seek asylum there,” he said.

In fact, since Sunday, a label has appeared on Twitter and other networks that says in Arabic “cancel the entry visa for Sudanese people in Egypt”, since what emerges from people’s testimonies, given the lack of official information, is that Egypt Apply for an entry visa for men between the ages of 16 and 50.

Passport and vaccinations

“As the relative lull began, we observed attempts by large numbers of Sudanese and other nationalities to cross the Egyptian border, and people’s testimonies differed based on their personal experiences, but agreed that the women, children and men under 16 AND over 50 years can cross without a visa,” the director explained.

However, he added, “must have a passportalso for children, and the certificate of vaccination with the injected yellow fever serum”.

“It should also be clarified that whoever can cross is whoever has a passport, and this is something that unavailable to many Sudaneseand if the security situation continues to deteriorate, there is sure to be a wave of irregular migration across Egypt’s southern borders,” he warned.

The UN mobilizes in Egypt

The spokeswoman for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Egypt, Christine Beshay, points out that they are “in talks with the Sudanese community in Egypt to continue to verify and determine the needs and support needed by the Egyptian community and government to manage any influx of asylum seekers”.

However, UNHCR does not have “exact figures” on how many people are starting to arrive in Egypt crossing the often occupied divide, and is working to verify which journeys are due to violence and which for other reasons.

According to data from the United Nations agency, Egypt hosts 58,995 Sudanese refugees which are registered.

Egypt’s state broadcaster Al Qahera News said on Monday that “nearly 3,000 people of various nationalities, including hundreds of Egyptian students, have crossed the Arqeen border crossing in the past 24 hours.”

After completing the formalities and going through the crossing, which is only managed by the Egyptian authorities after the Sudanese side suspended its operations, the travelers head directly on buses to the Egyptian city of Karkar, 50 kilometers away, and from there towards Aswan.

“Some stay in Aswan, others go to the train or bus stations or go directly to Aswan airport”, according to the chain, the only information revealed in this regard by a media linked to the Egyptian state.

Egyptians in Aswan and Cairo have already appeared on the networks, leaving their telephone numbers to open the doors of their homes and welcome these families seeking refuge.

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