On midday of May 25th, Egyptian authorities issued a decision to suspend the use of temporary travel documents for Sudanese nationals at Egyptian border crossings. These documents had been in use since the beginning of the armed conflict in Sudan, and Egyptian authorities had previously allowed holders of these documents from Sudan to enter Egypt after following the required procedures. This was crucial as it facilitated the entry of elderly individuals, children, and sick individuals who did not possess passports into Egypt.
According to the travelers’ testimonies, Egyptian authorities, represented by the General Administration of Borders and Crossing, informed them that the decision came after the arrest of an individual carrying invalid papers using a temporary travel document. Border officials also clarified that the decision is temporary, without announcing when the use of the travel documents would be resumed, or whether there are any new procedures regarding this matter. Meanwhile, there have been unconfirmed reports that the Egyptian authorities will change the document printing by converting it from paper to cards as part of new guidelines. However, no official statements have been issued regarding this matter or the Egyptian side’s acceptance of passports extended by the Sudanese side.
The testimonies and images documented by the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE) indicate that the sudden decision has significantly increased congestion at the border crossings, which had already been suffering from significant numbers of travelers, slow procedures, and long waiting times. This has consequently led to long queues stretching for kilometers on the Sudanese side of the border since yesterday. Furthermore, travelers crossing through the Arqeen border crossing have faced a tragic and unclear situation, as the Egyptian authorities stopped them and returned them to the Sudanese side for using temporary travel documents, which were previously allowed. This situation is exacerbated by the absence of basic necessities such as healthcare services, sanitation facilities, water, and food on this side of the border.
The Sudanese authorities had been issuing temporary travel documents in cases of expired or lost passports for individuals wishing to cross into Egypt from categories exempted from prior entry visa requirements. These categories include women, children under 16 and men over 50. These temporary travel documents were issued through Sudanese passport offices at the borders following the submission of a photograph and copies of national ID cards, passports, or national identification numbers. This was done to facilitate the process for displaced individuals due to the impossibility of obtaining passports through normal procedures amid the armed conflict in Sudan that has been going on for over 40 days.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Egypt (UNHCR) had previously announced that 150,565 individuals had fled to Egypt due to the violence in Sudan between April 15th and May 23rd, 2023, including 145,000 Sudanese nationals and 5,565 individuals of various nationalities.
