UN agencies delegation visits Qustul Egyptian-Sudanese border crossing

Ahram Online , Monday 8 May 2023

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other UN humanitarian agencies visited the Egyptian-Sudanese Qustul border crossing on Monday to meet with those who have recently fled to Egypt from Sudan due to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces.

The UN mission in their visit to Qustul border crossing in Egypt on Monday. Photo : UNHCR
The UN mission in their visit to Qustul border crossing in Egypt on Monday. Photo : UNHCR


According to the UNHCR, the delegation discussed the needs of those who crossed the borders and the best ways to provide support in collaboration with Egyptian authorities.

It met with Egyptian and Sudanese officials on both sides of the border to discuss their needs and how to address them.   

According to the latest numbers provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to UNHCR, around 70,000 people have crossed into Egypt –  including 65,104 Sudanese and 4,876 third-country nationals –  between 15 April and 7 May.

More than 1,400 individuals fleeing Sudan have approached UNHCR to register as refugees. 

The UN refugee agency said it would provide them with expedited registration and pre-registration services based on their vulnerability profiles so that they can access services available to refugees and asylum-seekers through UNHCR and its partners in Egypt.

The UN mission consisted of representatives from various organizations, including Hanan Hamdan, the UNHCR Egypt Representative, Ambassador Neveen El-Hosseiny from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Hopkins, the UNICEF Representative, Naeema Al-Gasser, the WHO Representative, Praveen Agrawal, the WFP Representative, Sylvain Merlen, the UNDP Deputy Representative, and Bernard El-Douahi, the Programme Manager at IOM Egypt.

Meanwhile, Egypt continued its efforts to evacuate a new batch of stranded Egyptians and foreigners of different nationalities from Port Sudan on board the Egyptian warship Halayeb.

According to Al-Qahera News Channel, the evacuation process from war-ridden Sudan is proceeding peacefully. 

 

Short link: