EGYPT: HEADING OFF FORCIBLE RETURNS OF ASYLUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 074872

SIPDIS
GENEVA FOR RMA
BRUSSELS/LONDON/PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS
USEU FOR FRANCIS
ADDIS/JERUSALEM FOR REFCOORDS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2018
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL EG ER SU IS LY
SUBJECT: EGYPT: HEADING OFF FORCIBLE RETURNS OF ASYLUM
SEEKERS AND ADDRESSING ISSUE OF AFRICAN MIGRANTS/ASYLUM
SEEKERS

REF: A. (A) CAIRO 1316 (NOTAL)

B. (B) STATE 67937 (NOTAL)

C. (C) CAIRO 1388 (NOTAL)

D. (D) STATE 31973 (NOTAL)

Classified By: PRM/AFR DIRECTOR MCKELVEY FOR REASONS 1.4(B AND D)

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State of Play
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1. (C) Neither Embassy Cairo's repeated demarches on the
Egyptian Government to allow UNHCR access to Eritrean asylum
seekers and to urge no deportations to Eritrea given threats
to safety and life of returned asylum seekers nor U.S.
Delegation's intervention calling for same at the UNHCR
(Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees) July
Standing Committee meeting have produced positive results.
Moreover, the irregular movements of African asylum seekers
and migrants seeking to cross from Egypt into Israel continue
to result in deaths of migrants/asylum seekers at the hands
of Egyptian border guards -- and even recently in the death
of a border guard reportedly at the hands of Bedouin
smugglers. Egyptian authorities continue to express a
preference for dealing with UNHCR/Geneva and/or IOM
(International Organization for Migration) with regard to
African asylum seekers.


2. (C) While bemoaning an alleged lack of international
offers to resettle some of the refugees/asylum seekers to
share the burden with Egypt -- N.B. State/PRM has reiterated
that the USG is willing to consider any UNHCR resettlement
referrals (ref B) -- Egyptian authorities are nonetheless
undecided as to whether they think a push for resettlement
would create a magnet for still more asylum seekers.


3. (SBU) Israel, as a destination country for economic
migrants and asylum seekers and as a refugee host, is also a
piece of the regional puzzle since Israel has been pressing
Egypt to control its border with Israel and has been
struggling with how to deal with the growing number of
African asylum seekers.

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Action Request
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4. (C) Mission is requested to again engage UNHCR/MENA Head
Nouicer, UNHCR/DIP Okoth-Obbo (and or ASG Feller),and
IOM/Geneva on working more urgently with Egypt to suspend
deportations of Eritreans, to put in place a better framework
for addressing the protection of asylum seekers in Egypt, and
to coordinate cooperation between Israel and Egypt on the
issue of asylum seekers and migrants. (Note: We would see
more robust action on the voluntary repatriation of southern
Sudanese who have had formal or informal asylum in Egypt as a
part of improving the framework. End note.) PRM/Washington
would be prepared to do a conference call with Mission and
UNHCR and IOM (individually or jointly) if Mission would deem
that helpful.
RICE