Two hundred and fifty Eritrean and Sudanese migrants are in line to sneak over Egypt's border with Israel, and are currently “awaiting” with traffickers in the Sinai desert, an Egyptian security source quoted five Eritreans as saying.
The source said the Eritreans gave their account while being interrogated after they were caught attempting to cross the Israeli border.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday urged Egypt to release the illegal migrants whom, it believes, have been under traffickers’ custody in a mountainous area near the Egyptian-Israeli border.
The UN watchdog claimed the refugees are being kept in containers and harassed by their captors. It added that traffickers are demanding from the migrants’ relatives a ransom of US$8000 for each person.
But Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Saturday Egypt had no knowledge of reports about the kidnapping of hundreds of Eritrean migrants in Sinai. He added that the Ministry of Interior, which has ongoing contact with his ministry, also had no clue about the reports.
