Egypt arrests refugees on way to Israel

8 Eritreans caught trying to cross Suez, 2 Sudanese at Rafah; human trafficker also nabbed.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
sudanese refugees 224.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
sudanese refugees 224.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Egyptian authorities detained eight Eritreans and two Sudanese early Wednesday in two separate incidents as they tried to make their way to Israel, a security official said. The Eritreans were caught trying to take a boat across the Suez Canal to the Sinai Peninsula, to reach the border with Israel in northern Sinai, the official said. An Egyptian human trafficker was arrested along with the eight Eritreans, the official said. In a separate incident, two young Sudanese refugees from the war-torn western Darfur region were arrested early Wednesday as they tried to sneak into Israel south of the official Rafah border crossing point, according to the official. The Sudanese said they were seeking political asylum in Israel. Israel estimates that 2,800 people have entered the country illegally through its border with Egypt in recent years searching for jobs. Most have come from Africa.