EEAS repond to the situation of refugees in the Northern Sinai

In 2010, about 12,000 refugees, men, women and children have been captured by human traffickers on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza. A significant percentage of them, at least among Eritreans and Ethiopians, were victimized by smugglers in Egypt and had to pay a ransom for their release. Father Mussie Zerai President of the Habeshia Agency for Development Cooperation and the Italian activist Cornelia Tolgyes contacted the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso to inform and advocate the EU of the striking human right violation regarding the situation of refugees in the Northern Sinai.

In respond to the letter, the Head of the Middle East Division at the European External Action Service (EEAS), Mr Ilkka Uusitalo, underlines that the EU “has been following the situation of the group of refugees held hostage on the Egypt-Israeli border since the beginning of December 2010, when the civil society organisations brought this case to the attention of HR/VP Catherine Asthon. The recent developments in Egypt may prove to be a way forward toward a renewed cooperation in areas where progress has been difficult in the past....”

Click here to read the full letter from the European External Action Service.