I was sitting at a cafe waiting to meet someone to rent an apartment from. A microbus stopped in front of me, they grabbed me and took me to the station along with two others. Then, they took us to a warehouse to transport boxes—contents unknown to me—before abandoning us in the desert. They threatened me not to talk or report what happened,” says Malik, a Sudanese refugee.
An initiative focusing on African refugees in Egypt documented testimonies from several Sudanese refugees living in Nasr City, detailing their abduction by uniformed security forces and being forced to work in a “warehouse” at an undisclosed location, then abandoned in the desert. These accounts include fifteen testimonies of people subjected to human trafficking and forced labor under beating and threats.
“The same abuses we left Sudan because of, we are finding them happening here,” and “UNHCR procrastinates and delays our requests; now, I find this matter reaching our home,” says another anonymous refugee.
In his testimony, Malik recounts, “We were arrested—five of us—while we were sitting at the community center in the Taba area (a gathering place for refugees). A microbus with police officers in black winter uniforms arrived, entered the space, and took us all. When I asked what was happening, they said, ‘Come on, get in, it’s for your benefit.’ They pressured and threatened us to reveal the refugee community’s headquarters at Kilo 4.5. They raided the place and detained everyone, including the committee coordinator. While moving through the streets, they detained others and put them with us in the microbus.”
Forced labor is defined as a form of human trafficking where any work or service is exacted from a person under threat of penalty without their consent. Refugee testimonies reveal repeated rights violations by uniformed security forces through kidnapping, beating, and forcing them to work without pay. According to Article 12 of the Egyptian Constitution, no citizen may be compelled to work involuntarily, except by law, to perform a public service, for a limited period, with fair compensation, and without violating the basic rights of the person obliged to work.
Many refugees migrate to Egypt seeking safety, only to encounter institutional violence and racism, often embedded in society and leaving them without legal protection.
In recent years, media, NGOs, and UNHCR staff have consistently reported multiple cases of abuse and attacks on refugees and migrants, especially women and children. According to UNHCR, refugees report harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Refugee women and girls, particularly Africans, face the highest risks of societal sexual violence and gender-based violence.
According to UNHCR and press reports, police raids on neighborhoods known for housing Syrian, Sudanese, and other African refugees, as well as migrants, have increased, leading to more arrests. Detainees report verbal abuse and poor detention conditions. As of December 2021, UNHCR’s statistics in Egypt show that 271,102 refugees are registered in the country, including 50,665 from Sudan, 20,240 from South Sudan, 20,174 from Eritrea, 15,671 from Ethiopia, and 6,771 from Somalia.
In a statement dated November 15, 2021, from the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s meeting with EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, it was declared that “the Egyptian government has adopted a human rights-based approach for migrants and refugees, allowing them integration into Egyptian society while eliminating all forms of discrimination against them.” Commissioner Johansson noted that “Egypt is a reliable partner on migration issues.”
A 63-year-old Sudanese man says in another testimony: “I already have issues with Sudanese security, especially after recent troubles in Sudan…they accuse me of incitement because I help refugees in Egypt. Four men claiming to be security personnel, with Egyptians among them, showed me photos of people allegedly inciting demonstrations in Sudan… My family and I left home, went to the family center, then reported to the police. On my way back around 8 PM, I noticed a microbus parked in the corner. They said, ‘Hey, we want to talk to the Sudanese community here.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ They responded, ‘We need to communicate with them.’ I told them I was just coming back and was tired. They insisted, ‘We’re from State Security, and you need to cooperate with us. Where are you coming from?’
I told them I was coming from the prosecutor’s office because some people had attacked me. When I refused to go with them, they took me by force. I couldn’t resist; I am 63 and unwell. They pulled me inside the microbus, and one of my teeth broke. They gathered many others, and we found ourselves in warehouses, with three more microbuses and many people, forced to move crates by force…if it weren’t for the young men with me, I wouldn’t have made it home. I thought I would die there.”
According to hundreds of press and human rights reports from both local and international organizations, the National Security Agency conducts countless unauthorized home raids, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances against political dissidents, suspects, and ordinary citizens, all with impunity. The above testimonies add refugee home raids, arbitrary detention, and forced labor without pay under threat and assault to these abuses.
On October 29, 2020, dozens of Sudanese refugees and migrants were arrested after peaceful protests following the murder of Sudanese child “Mohamed Hassan.” Refugees protested outside the UNHCR office in 6th of October City, demanding justice, protection, and action against human rights abuses against African refugees in Egypt. Security forces dispersed the protesters violently, using tear gas, water hoses, and batons, arresting around 70 people, including children, some of whom reported beatings and insults in police custody.
In May 2020, Egyptian police arrested three stranded Sudanese nationals in Cairo during their protest outside the Sudanese embassy, demanding expedited return to Khartoum. The three were protesting outside the embassy, calling on their government for repatriation.
One refugee adds, “They took us to large warehouses and were surprised to find two more microbuses. They forced us inside a warehouse, made us move crates, all while swearing at and hitting us to force us to work. This went on from around 9 PM to 3 AM, then the same microbuses took us to the desert and left us…we recognized the road and learned it was the Tantaoui Axis in Fifth Settlement, but the warehouse’s location remains unknown.”
Observers noted in the 2021 US Department of State’s “Trafficking in Persons Report: Egypt” that male refugees and migrants face exploitative labor practices, including forced labor. Foreign domestic workers, not covered under Egyptian labor laws, primarily from Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, and Sri Lanka, face high risks of forced labor, including working long hours, passport confiscation, wage withholding, food and medical deprivation, and physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Some employers falsely accuse domestic workers of theft to further exploit them. Traffickers exploit women and girls, including refugees and migrants from Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, in sex trafficking in Egypt.
Jamal, a Sudanese refugee, recounts: “It happened more than once; I was abducted on 27-12, 5-12, and 2-1 by men in security uniforms…forced to work in the same way without any pay…I reported it to UNHCR, contacted the Protection Section, and sent an email, but I have yet to receive a response.
“We went to UNHCR to report it, and we found it had become more like a police station, not a humanitarian office. UNHCR is now surrounded by numerous police vehicles, and a solid iron fence has been erected…to reach the window and present a case, refugees must pass through all this…this is just one of the problems; we can’t get our issues across, and no one can protect us,” says a refugee who went to report their forced labor without pay and also to seek protection.
He adds: “After pressure and negotiations with the police, they allowed one of us to enter the UNHCR office and meet an employee who heard what happened, but nobody could solve our problem.”
In another testimony, Abdul Aziz, an African refugee, says, “A microbus stopped me and said, ‘Get in.’ I asked what was happening, and they said, ‘Just get in.’ When I asked for clarification, they forced me in. They took us to warehouses where about twenty people were already present. They even took our phones. It was cold, and there were elderly people with us, with no way to keep warm. This isn’t the first time; such incidents repeatedly happen here at Kilo 4.5, where they come and take people to make them work.” Abdul Aziz describes the refugee situation: “You’re walking and getting beaten on the street, beaten by the government, and when we went to UNHCR, we found them more like a police station.”
A Sudanese community leader added, “The security raids targeting areas where African refugees live are always ongoing, especially in areas like Kilo 4.5. As community leaders, we send complaints to UNHCR—the office in Egypt—but we are told they will follow up, yet no response arrives for any of the complaints or reports we submit, whether concerning arbitrary detention, disappearance, physical or sexual assault, or requests for essential services.” He continues, “UNHCR’s disregard for our requests regarding the violations facing refugees puts us in a difficult position with our communities who believe that community leaders can solve their problems, but in reality, all we can do is communicate with UNHCR