Deported South Sudan student accuses Egypt of torturing him

A South Sudanese student, who has now been deported, has accused the Egyptian government of torturing him whilst in detention.

In October Daniel Bol Deng, 28, was part of a protest at the South Sudanese embassy against deteriorating living conditions at the Egyptian university he was studying at, when he was arrested by security forces.

The students staged a sit-in at the embassy and later reported that they were locked in without food, water and electricity and criticised the government in Juba for not responding to their calls for help.

The students were told they would receive full scholarships and were later informed that they had to pay for their accommodation. Some were beaten by security forces and ten were arrested and later deported.

READ: Egypt destroys trees in Cairo to build floating restaurant, car park

At the time of their arrest, it was not known where the students had been detained and another demonstrator said that they had minor and serious injuries and it was unclear if they had received appropriate medical attention.

Bol told the Sudan Post that he was detained in a cell where he was not able to sit down or sleep for 21 days which caused his legs to swell up. He added that his phone and $125 was stolen from him.

Egypt’s police and national security officers regularly torture political detainees by beating them, torturing them by electric shock, holding them in stress positions and raping and threating to rape them.

There are some 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt who are detained in abysmal conditions and are regularly prevented from receiving family visits.

In 2020, Cairo signed a protocol with Juba to offer 400 South Sudanese students full scholarships to complete their degrees and postgraduate studies in Egypt with the aim of strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries.