Egypt denies Sudanese journalist entry

The Egyptian authorities yesterday banned prominent Sudanese journalist Al-Tahir Satti from entering the country sending him back to Sudan, the Anadolu Agency reported.

A security source, who preferred not to be named, said: “The Sudanese writer arrived in Cairo, at dawn on Sunday, coming from Khartoum. Upon his arrival he was denied entry and deported back to Khartoum without declaring the reason for the ban.”

Egyptian authorities did not issue a statement explaining the reason why Al-Satti was banned from entry.

Read: Sudan refuses entry to former Egypt presidential candidate

Al-Satti was heading to Cairo to join his wife who had arrived earlier for treatment.

He had previously published an article criticising the Egyptian authorities over the disputed Halayeb region as well as the Egyptian media’s “abuses” against Sudan.

In a statement, the Sudanese Journalists Union (SJU) condemned the Egyptian authorities’ actions as “arbitrary measures” adding that Al-Satti was granted an entry visa from the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum. “The Egyptian authorities have forbidden Al-Satti from standing with his wife, who travelled earlier to Cairo for treatment.”

The statement added that the Egyptian authorities’ actions undermine efforts by the joint Sudanese-Egyptian political consultation committee which agreed last week to stop negative media hostilities from both sides.