UNHCR Egypt Representative receives a briefing from the Egyptian Red Crescent at the Qustol border crossing on 8 May. UNHCR/Lamia Abdelaal
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, led a mission of UN humanitarian agencies facilitated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and border authorities to the Qustul border crossing on 8 May to meet those who had just crossed into Egypt after fleeing Sudan, discuss the needs and how best to support them in collaboration with the Egyptian authorities and local partners.
The joint delegation included UNHCR Egypt Representative, Dr. Hanan Hamdan, accompanied by Ambassador Neveen El Hosseiny, Deputy Assistant Minister for Migration, Refugees and Combatting Human Trafficking at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jeremy Hopkins, UNICEF Representative, Dr. Naeema Al Gasser, WHO Representative, Mr. Praveen Agrawal, WFP Representative, Mr. Sylvain Merlen, UNDP Deputy Representative and Mr. Bernard El Douahi, Programme Manager at IOM Egypt.
The delegation met with border officials and Sudanese officials on the Sudanese side of the border to discuss the needs there and how best to address them.
UNHCR is leading an interagency response with the UN Resident Coordinator and sister UN agencies in collaboration with the Egyptian Government to respond to the growing needs of people fleeing Sudan and crossing into Egypt needing international protection. At the border, UN Agencies have been supporting the work of the Egyptian Red Crescent through provide life-saving assistance and core relief aid, distributed by the Egyptian Red Crescent to new arrivals, including water, hygiene and sanitary kits, latrines, wheelchairs, food and medical assistance.
In parallel to visiting the borders, and meeting with refugees there, UNHCR has also been meeting with refugees and community leaders in urban areas in Cairo and Aswan, counselling new arrivals and trying to assess their needs and concerns to inform the joint response plan UNHCR is leading on with sister UN agencies.
According to numbers UNHCR received from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, around 70,000 have crossed into Egypt including 65,104 Sudanese and 4,876 third-country nationals during the period 15 April – 7 May. To date, more than 1,400 individuals fleeing Sudan approached UNHCR and UNHCR is providing them with expedited registration and pre-registration services based on their vulnerability profiles so that they can access services available to refugees and asylum-seekers made available through UNHCR and its partners in Egypt.
Following registration, refugees and asylum-seekers receive support delivered through our implementing partners. Through the partners, UNHCR Egypt supports refugees and asylum seekers to meet their basic needs and have access to health and education services. Services provided by UNHCR, and its partners cover health, education, multi-purpose cash assistance to the most vulnerable, psychosocial support, protection and child protection services, among others.
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