Egypt arrests 100 Sudanese citizens in disputed border town

Some 100 Sudanese nationals suspected of working and residing in Halayeb and Shalateen without legal documentation have been arrested by Egyptian authorities, Al-Masry Al-Youm news outlet reported.

Those arrested were taken to the Marsa Alam police station to begin the process of deportation. The group are alleged to have crossed the border illegally and were later spotted by Egyptian security services.  Reports quote an unnamed source confirming that the Sudanese are expected to be deported in the next few days.

There has been no official response from Sudan about the arrests and pending deportations.

Halayeb and Shalateen, also known as the Halayeb triangle, are border areas that have been an issue of contention since Sudan’s independence in 1956.  The triangle stretches over 21,000 square kilometres.

Egypt has a full military presence in the area since the 1990s and continues to refuse formal requests by Sudan to have the disputed area voluntarily referred to an international border demarcation court of justice.

Read: Egypt ‘provoking’ Sudan in disputed Halayeb area, Sudanese minister