Analysis: Caught in the Crossfire: Ethiopian migrants in Egypt trapped in a cycle of abuse, arbitrary detention as GERD tensions rise

Addis Abeba – As tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia escalate over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the plight of Ethiopian migrants and refugees residing in Egypt has become increasingly dire.

Community leaders and Ethiopian migrants in Egypt report that these individuals are facing a multitude of hardships, including financial exploitation, harassment, arbitrary detentions, and instances of violence.

An Ethiopian community leader, who sought refuge in Egypt in 2019 and requested anonymity for his safety, shared with Addis Standard that Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers are being detained without due process.

“Many of those detained possess UNHCR identification cards—some of which have expired but are in the process of renewal, while others remain valid,” he stated.

Furthermore, the community leader noted that “even those recognized as migrants by UNHCR—who hold various identification cards such as the white card, yellow card, and asylum seeker registration card—continue to face challenges in Egypt.”

He recounted efforts to address the challenges faced by Ethiopian migrants by reaching out to the UNHCR through the Ethiopian Communities Union and the Oromo Elders Union.

“When we became aware of the imprisonment of community members, we immediately informed UNHCR via email, as we fall under their mandate,” said the community leader.

He added that, “following this communication, UNHCR convened an urgent meeting with community leaders, during which they promised to address the issues.” However, he noted that no effective solutions have been implemented thus far.

In an interview with Addis Standard, Suliman Ali, 36, who migrated to Egypt with his brother Mohamed Ali in 2014, intending to register as asylum seekers, disclosed that he has yet to receive the necessary asylum seeker registration.

Suliman further revealed that his brother was imprisoned in January 2024 at the Basati prison in Cairo following an assault by gangs and the police. Despite paying a bribe to the police, Suliman says his brother was detained for two months before being released.

“Some migrants who were imprisoned alongside my brother in Cairo remain incarcerated,” he told Addis Standard.

Suliman observed that while UNHCR issued a white paper to him, his brothers, and other migrants, the Egyptian government refused to recognize it due to its perceived lack of significance.

“In the past, when confronted with serious difficulties in Egypt, we [Ethiopian refugees] would seek refuge in Sudan,” he added. “However, that is no longer a viable option as Sudan is currently engulfed in civil war.”

The Ethiopian community leader and migrants residing in Egypt highlighted that the mass detention of Ethiopian migrants in Egypt began in April 2023.

They also emphasized that the hardships—such as financial exploitation, harassment, arbitrary detentions, and acts of violence against Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers—have intensified in tandem with the growing tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over the filling of the GERD.

A decade-long negotiation on the GERD involving Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt was revived following discussions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi in July 2023.

The two leaders agreed to finalize the rules and guidelines for the filling and the annual operation of the GERD within four months.

Since September 2023, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have held four rounds of tripartite talks, two in Cairo and two in Addis Ababa. However, despite these efforts, the negotiations failed to yield the expected resolution.

Instead, the deadlock worsened, with Egypt announcing its withdrawal from the GERD negotiations in December 2023.

The diplomatic tension between Ethiopia and Egypt escalated further following Prime Minister Abiy’s announcement of the successful completion of the fifth and final phase of filling the GERD in late August 2024.

A week after the Prime Minister’s announcement, Egypt submitted a letter to the United Nations Security Council, categorically rejecting what it characterized as Ethiopia’s “unilateral policies” following the fifth phase of filling the GERD.

Ethiopia has responded to the Egyptian letter by rejecting what it deems a “litany of unfounded allegations.”

Adding another layer of tension between the two nations, Egypt deployed military officers and heavy equipment to Somalia in early September as part of a larger deployment, which some sources suggest could involve up to 10,000 Egyptian soldiers.

Ethiopia has expressed concern over Egypt’s actions, warning that it “cannot stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilize the region.”

Ethiopian refugees in Egypt find themselves in the midst of these diplomatic tensions, which are exacerbating the difficulties they face in their daily lives.

In June 2023, Al-Ahram, the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Egypt, reported that numerous Ethiopian refugees gathered outside the UNHCR office in Cairo to demand protection from what they characterized as an escalating number of xenophobic attacks by Egyptians.

According to the article, the protesters underscored that members of their community had experienced several violent assaults in Egypt.

However, another news article published by the VOA indicated that incidents of harassment, hate speech, and violence against Ethiopian refugees in Egypt have become increasingly prevalent since 2020.

In an interview with Addis Standard, Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers residing in Egypt also emphasize that these challenges continue to this day.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, another migrant and community leader who has resided in Egypt since 2018 stressed that the trend of mass rejections of Ethiopian migrants without any apparent justification has intensified in 2024.

“We are not affiliated with any political group; we are simply refugees from Ethiopia with documentation under UNHCR,” he stated. “Yet, we have become victims of harassment, arbitrary detentions, and acts of violence due to the ongoing tension between the two nations,” the community leader disclosed.

He informed Addis Standard that there are 12 Ethiopian communities in Egypt, including Amhara, Oromo, Tigray, and Hadiya, all of which are victims of mistreatment.

The community leader highlighted the numerous hardships faced by Ethiopian migrants and refugees in Egypt, including financial exploitation, harassment, physical abuse, insults, kidnappings, and arbitrary arrests.

“These individuals are often imprisoned, particularly in Basati and Darussalam prisons, as well as others within Cairo city,” he revealed.

As a community leader in Egypt, the informant revealed that he receives four or five daily reports of imprisoned migrants and refugees from their communities.

“When attempting to deliver food to a friend in prison, the police would often demand a bribe,” he added.

The community leader reported that at least 100 individuals from his community alone have been detained.

“As a community leader, I have reached out to UNHCR regarding the situation of these one hundred detainees but have received no response,” he said. AS