Egyptian police kill two Africans at Israeli border

Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:06am EDT
 
[-] Text [+]

ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian security men shot dead two African migrants on Thursday as they tried to slip across the frontier into Israel, bringing to 10 the number of migrants killed at the border this year, security sources said.

The sources said security forces opened fire on the two men, both in their 30s and believed to be from Ivory Coast, after they refused orders to stop at the border.

Egyptian police have killed eight other migrants on the desert border since the start of the year and detained scores of others, mostly from Africa.

Rights group Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the killings and says Israel has pressed Egypt to reduce the flow of people crossing illegally.

The London-based rights group says thousands of migrants try to cross to Israel from Egypt's Sinai peninsula each year, with numbers rising since 2007.

The migrants, including many from Sudan and a growing number from Eritrea, are seeking work or asylum away from conflict at home and harsh living conditions in Egypt, where activists say African migrants face economic marginalization and racism.

(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Alastair Sharp)

 

Featured Broker sponsored link

Editor's Choice

A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours.  Slideshow 

Most Popular on Reuters

  • Articles
  • Video

Analysis

A woman and a child wear masks as they wait for a H1N1 flu check-up at a temporary H1N1 flu treatment centre at a hospital in Seoul November 3, 2009.   REUTERS/Choi Bu-Seok
Swine flu skepticism demands deft response

European scientists and health authorities are facing angry questions about why H1N1 flu has not caused death and destruction on the scale first feared, and they need to respond deftly to ensure public support.  Full Article | Full Coverage