ADDRESSING AFRICAN MIGRANTS/REFUGEES AND KILLINGS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 000965 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, PRM/AFR E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL EG ER IS SU SUBJECT: ADDRESSING AFRICAN MIGRANTS/REFUGEES AND KILLINGS ALONG EGYPTIAN/ISRAELI BORDER REF: A. SECSTATE 31973 ¶B. CAIRO 479 AND PREVIOUS Classified by DCM Stuart Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: GOE interlocutors provide a varied and contradictory explanation of when force can be used against migrants seeking to cross illegally from Egypt into Israel, but all say that GOE security personnel use deadly force due to the difficulty of distinguishing between migrants and terrorists or criminals along a politically tense and physically challenging border. UNHCR and IOM contacts in Cairo say the threat of violence on the border is the only, albeit imperfect, deterrent to an increasing number of African migrants transiting Egypt to reach Israel. To encourage the Egyptians to seek a less violent solution, IOM would be a more effective mediator between Egypt and Israel than UNHCR. End summary. GOE: Force Used Because Migrants Could Be Terrorists -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Per ref A demarche, we again urged the GOE to limit use of deadly force against migrants attempting to illegally cross the Sinai border to Israel with interlocutors at the Ministry of Interior (MOI),Ministry of Defense (MOD),and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Minister of Interior Habib Al Adly told the Ambassador on May 7 (septel) that the violence results from a tense border situation and the complexity of differentiating between migrants and terrorists or weapons/drug smugglers in difficult terrain, often in the middle of the night. Additionally, he said that exchanges of fire sometimes occur between Egyptian forces and armed Bedouin smugglers accompanying the migrants, injuring the migrants collaterally. Egyptian security services endeavor to identify potential migrants before they reach the border by interviewing travelers at checkpoints throughout the country and those seeking visas at Egyptian embassies abroad, but "some get through." Al Adly noted that the situation has become more tense since Hamas breached the Rafah border crossing in early 2008, and that while Egyptian civilian police were originally responsible for most encounters with migrants, since then "military forces" are also involved (NFI). ¶3. (C) State Security Investigative Service (SSIS) Director of External Affairs General Salah Hegazy reinforced Adly's �00A;statements on May 8. He elaborated that Egypt must guard carefully against the threat of terrorists slipping into Israel via Egypt, and African migrants often get fired upon with that threat in mind. Additionaly, he noted that even if the migrants are not involved in any other illicit activities, attempting to illegally cross the border is itself contrary to Egyptian law. General Hegazy confirmed that the civilian Central Security Forces (CSF) are often the Egyptian security personnel involved in these shootings, and the rules of engagement are to first verbally warn would-be crossers to stop, then fire in the air, at the ground, and at the feet before resorting to deadly force. ¶4. (C) Major General Nagy, head of the Defense Military Intelligence (DMI) LAWIO force responsible for liaison with international organizations, said on April 30 that CSF officers are most often the Egyptian personnel encountering migrants attempting to cross into Israel. He confirmed the rules of engagement for confronting any unknown individual crossing the 150 meter-wide "security zone" on the Egyptian side of the border. "They never stop" after being verbally warned, he claimed, adding that some have continued to struggle on to the border even after being wounded and that Israeli patrols are often on the other side "waiting to pick them up." Nagy claimed Egypt must act against border-crossers because otherwise "the Israelis would complain loudly," but contradictorily claimed that Israel was welcoming African migrants to work in Israel. ¶5. (C) MFA Deputy Assistant Ministers Wael Aboulmagd (Human Rights) and Tarek El Maaty (Refugees) on April 22 and 23, respectively, echoed that the problem stems from a tense political and security environment and difficult operating conditions on the border. El Maaty confirmed the rules of engagement stated by his security colleagues. Aboulmagd, however, claimed that security forces have been ordered not to use deadly force "except in self defense," but that "things happen when you put men with guns on a dangerous border." The GOE strategy to limit violence is thus to improve training and devote more attention to the quality of individuals assigned to border security, Aboulmagd said. ¶6. (C) Separately, CSF officers stationed near Egypt's border with Gaza also told us during a recent visit to the border that the standing order is to use deadly force "only in self defense." However, they said that some local CSF commanders along the border have told their personnel that they would be held "personally responsible" if they allow anyone to illegally cross the border, resulting in the use of deadly force. ¶7. (C) Note: Separate Egyptian security organs share responsibility for the border with Israel. The Egyptian General Intelligence Service (EGIS) has the lead on border policy, but the CSF are responsible for security on the Egyptian side of the Egypt - Israel border, where most attempted crossings occur, and which is demilitarized under the terms of the Camp David Accords. This excludes the more heavily-secured 14 kilometer border with Gaza, which is patrolled by the MOD's Border Guard Force (BGF). The BGF is limited to 750 personnel under a 2005 agreement with Israel when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip. Additionally, SSIS, while a separate MOI body from the CSF, in reality has weight within the MOI on all security issues. End note. Migrant Flow Steady, Eritreans Becoming "Worrisome" -------------- -------------- ¶8. (SBU) El Maaty said that the flow of migrants across the border has remained at a constant level since the beginning of 2008, but that the flow of Eritreans coming to Egypt across the border with Sudan, mostly as a transit to Israel, is becoming "worrisome" (ref B). Egyptian security has detained 1200 Eritreans in Egypt since the beginning of 2008, he said, although he claimed that all were released after investigation. He attributed the continued flow to encouragement from African migrants who have reached Israel and are able to find work and an acceptable standard of living. Security check-points in the Sinai and at the Suez Canal have stopped some would-be migrants before reaching the Israeli border, El Maaty continued, but not all. Egypt plans to open discussions with Sudan, the first country of asylum for Eritrean newcomers, to discuss a framework for sending them back to Sudan. Possible Role of UNHCR, IOM -------------- ¶9. (SBU) El Maaty claimed that the GOE has a good working relationship with both the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The GOE continues to refer cases of potential refugees to UNHCR for refugee status determination, and UNHCR has provided training to sensitize Egyptian security forces to refugee issues, he said. UNHCR Deputy Regional Representative Katharina Lumpp confirmed that the GOE has been cooperative on referring cases of alleged refugees/asylum-seekers to UNHCR, but said that the GOE has not accepted UNHCR's offers to help address the migrant situation more comprehensively. However, UNHCR is also wary of getting too involved, Lumpp said, as since many of the migrants are not refugees or asylum-seekers UNHCR's role is by necessity limited. Additionally, she said, the relationship between UNHCR and the GOE is still sensitive after Egyptian security forces violently dispersed a Sudanese sit-in outside UNHCR headquarters in Cairo in 2005, resulting in almost 30 casualties. ¶10. (SBU) El Maaty and Lumpp agreed that Africans who have successfully reached Israel have inspired others to attempt the trek. Lumpp opined that the threat of violence on the border may actually be the only factor hindering, albeit imperfectly, an even greater number of attempted crossings. Echoing this point, IOM Regional Representative Shahid Abdul Haque told us that the only way forward is for Israel to begin deporting illegal migrants back to their countries of origin. African migrants would then cease to see Israel as a viable destination and decrease their attempted border crossings, allowing the GOE to take a less violent approach. Haque said that IOM would be willing to be involved in discussions with the GOE and GOI on this issue, and reports that the Ministry of Interior (MOI) has already accepted in principle IOM offers to provide training for its personnel on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) as it relates to illegal migration. Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) The fact that our GOE interlocutors had superficial and sometimes contradictory explanations for the violence indicates that bureacratic ownership of this issue is unclear. Concerns that terrorists or criminals could be mixed in with migrants on Egypt's border with Israel have some weight, as the GOE would no doubt face heavy criticism if a terrorist attack in Israel was found to be aided by smuggling across the border from Egypt. The Egyptians would prefer IOM over UNHCR to facilitate dialogue with Israel, given its mandate more directly related to migration and its better relationship with the GOE. We caution, however, that the African migrant issue is only one aspect of the GOE's political and security concerns on the sensitive Egyptian-Israeli border. GOE officials have been uncomfortable about Israel returning African migrants to Egypt and are unlikely to consider accepting more, but may be willing to engage on the issue of how to deal with migrants crossing into Israel. SCOBEY