African Union receives complaint over Egypt's closure of Rafah crossing

A number of activists and international non-governmental organisations have lodged a complaint with the human rights committee at the African Union against Egypt’s closure of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.

In an interview with the Anadolu news agency, New York-based activist and lawyer Stanley Cohen, who represents, among others, Egyptian writer Mona Eltahawy, said that the purpose of the complaint is to find immediate means to pressure different parties to facilitate the delivery of urgent aid to Gaza.

The complaint has been jointly signed by the UK-based International Federation for Rights and Freedoms, the Human Rights Organisation and the South African Palestine Solidarity Federation.

Signatories to the complaint urged the Human Rights Committee at the African Union to urge Egypt to swiftly open the Rafah crossing.

The complaint accuses Egypt of “deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian crisis” in the coastal enclave that houses 1.8 million inhabitants.

According to the complaint, the continued closure of the crossing prevents the movement of individuals and the transfer of desperately needed humanitarian aid into Palestinian territories.

Cohen accused Egypt of committing a “war crime” by continuing its siege on Gaza, driven by its “trivial political disagreements with Hamas”.

He said that he expects a response from the committee by next week.

He added that the complaint has been lodged with the African Committee instead of the International Criminal Court, “to give Egypt a chance to do the right thing”.’