About 1.3 million Sudanese refugees live in Cairo after fleeing Sudan’s civil war that began in April 2023. Many describe life in Egypt as unsafe and hopeless, with racism and attacks linked to skin color. Refugees report being confined like criminals and losing prospects for the future. The UN describes an intensifying pattern of arbitrary arrests and human rights violations, alongside a surge in deportations of Sudanese nationals since late 2025. Deportations are reported to occur without assessments of whether individuals face risk of torture or harm. With limited information from Sudan, refugees monitor news and weigh whether it is safe to return or to attempt crossing the Mediterranean again.
"There are an estimated 1.3 million Sudanese refugees living in Cairo. Most have fled from neighbouring Sudan after the outbreak of civil war in April 2023. Instead of the safety and security they had hoped to find, they say life in the Egyptian capital has turned into a horror story. The situation here is so hopeless that I am now preparing for a second crossing [to Europe]. I haven't told my mother yet as I don't know if she would survive losing a second child, says Nadir*, 26."
"Here in Egypt, you are confined like a criminal,' says Nadir The war, in which at least 150,000 people have died, has forced approximately 4.5 million people to flee Sudan in search of safety in Chad, South Sudan, Libya and Egypt. The World Health Organization has described the conflict as the world's worst humanitarian disaster. Like others in his community, Nadir watches news bulletins constantly for the limited information coming out of Sudan."
"Once in Egypt, Sudan's war refugees have faced racism and what the UN has described as an intensifying campaign of arbitrary arrests and human rights violations, with a surge in deportations of Sudanese nationals since late 2025. The UN says the deportations were reportedly carried out without assessments to determine whether individuals faced risk of torture or harm. Here in Egypt, you are confined like a criminal. It offers so little prospect of a future that you begin to lose yourself, says Nadir."
"I had to defend myself after being attacked in the street because of the colour of my skin. Nadir's main concern as he watches for news is whether it is safe to return The increasingly hostile climate is driving growing numbers of Sudanese refugees to consider leaving Egypt, either in the hope of returning to Sudan or, more often, of attempting to cross the Mediterranean to"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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