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Sep 02nd
Home News Africa News Egypt: 2 Sudanese migrants shot by Egyptian border guards

Egypt: 2 Sudanese migrants shot by Egyptian border guards

Two Sudanese migrants were shot by border police and a third was detained after they were spotted along the border with Israel, an Egyptian security source in Sinai Peninsula told PANA. One woman was shot in the stomach and the man was hit in the left shoulder.

According to the official, the guards ordered the three migrants to stop and when they refused, the guards opened fire.

According to reports, the three Sudanese told interrogators that they were attempting to enter Israel in order to look for work and had paid guides some US$ 5,000 to help them cross the border.

All three have been admitted to a local hospital in Al Arish and the Sudanese Embassy in Egypt has been notified.

Since January 2008, at least 480 migrants have been detained while trying to cross the border, while dozens have been killed by border police, causing an international human rights stir.

New York-based rights organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), called on Egyptian police to end their "shoot-to-stop" policy that has left "too many" deaths along the border.

Many African refugees and migrants often complain of poor conditions in Egypt and a lack of work opportunities, forcing them to make the dangerous journey across the Sinai desert.
 
Cairo - 12/02/2009

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