اخبار السودان – وطن نيوز
اخر اخبار السودان اليوم – اخبار السودان العاجلة
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-05-28 15:10:00
Cairo – “Al-Quds Al-Arabi”: With the increase in the rate of return of Sudanese from Egypt, coinciding with Eid Al-Adha, the Arqin crossing on the Egyptian border witnessed a major crisis with the absence of buses transporting returnees to their cities, in light of talk of deaths witnessed in the corridors of the crossing as a result of high temperatures and the absence of services. A number of Sudanese accuse transportation companies of causing the problem. After they booked and paid the cost of travel from Cairo to Sudanese cities, after arriving at the crossing they did not find the buses that would take them to their cities in the different states. Activists published videos showing the accumulation of hundreds of returnees sleeping in the crossing square, at a time when the past days witnessed a rise in temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius. The director of the Arqin crossing, Mubarak Daoud, attributed the causes of the crisis to the reluctance of bus owners to operate on the Arqin line, as a result of the disparity in ticket prices between the lines following the increase approved by the Chamber of Transport on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, which prompted drivers to prefer the higher-priced lines. Activists published videos showing the accumulation of hundreds of returnees sleeping in the crossing square, at a time when the past days witnessed a rise in temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius. Media statements stated that the price of a ticket for the Arqin line amounted to about 196 thousand pounds (about 78 dollars), compared to 260 thousand pounds (about 104 dollars) for the Wadi Halfa – Khartoum line, and 240 thousand pounds (about 96 dollars) for the Dalgo – Khartoum line, which is This contributed to the worsening of the overcrowding situation inside the crossing. However, one of the owners of companies working in transporting Sudanese from Egypt said in a video he posted on Facebook that the crisis is due to the emergence of activists demanding that returnees reserve tickets only to the Arqin crossing. He said that the companies are only committed to providing buses to those who have booked with them to the states inside Sudan. Activists advised returnees not to book with companies; Because of the long hours of waiting at the crossing, they stressed that the best way to travel is by train from Cairo to Aswan, from where the returnee takes a bus to the crossing, and from the crossing he takes a bus to his city, and they stressed that this method saves about half of the travel costs through companies. Subsequently, one of the transport companies issued an explanatory statement regarding the delay facing the voluntary return flights of Sudanese coming from Egypt, stressing that the crisis is due to weak coordination and non-compliance with previously agreed upon operational programs and not due to negligence on the part of the transport companies. She said, “The trips are being organized in coordination with the Hope Committee for Voluntary Return according to specific schedules that include a number of buses and passengers, but it was surprised during the recent groups by the arrival of large numbers of returnees who were not included in the prior lists, which prompted the committee to urgently operate additional trips.” She added, “The additional trips were not coordinated within the crossing as required, which led to a delay in the movement of buses and the returnees being forced to wait until vehicles arrived from Sudanese cities.” She stressed that the responsibility for the crisis was due to the lack of organization and commitment to the agreed-upon operating plans, noting that there were about 13 buses transporting ships returning to Wadi Halfa, but the faltering arrangements contributed to their transfer to the Arqin area, asking whether the transport company bears responsibility for this administrative and organizational failure. In addition, the “Refugee Platform in Egypt” said that it followed the worsening humanitarian developments on the Sudanese side of the Arqin crossing, where the suffering of Sudanese returnees from Egypt turned into a severe humanitarian crisis that affects the basic rights guaranteed to every human being, most importantly the right to human dignity, safe movement, and access to protection and basic services during travel and return. A transportation company confirmed that the crisis was due to weak coordination and non-compliance with previously agreed-upon operational programs and not due to the companies’ negligence. It said that it had monitored cases of severe overcrowding that led to the death of at least three people, in addition to multiple cases of fainting and heat exhaustion among those stranded as a result of prolonged exposure to extreme heat in light of the scarcity of water and the absence of health care, which reveals a serious deficiency in the measures taken to ensure the safety of returnees and preserve their dignity. According to what the platform documented, more than five thousand people returning from Egypt are crowded around the Arqin crossing, the majority of whom are women, children and the elderly, in extremely harsh humanitarian conditions. Those stranded on the Sudanese side of the crossing spend continuous days in the open without shelter or umbrellas to protect them from the sun’s rays, at a time when temperatures exceed 45 degrees Celsius. It also documented a severe lack of basic services on the Sudanese side of the crossing, including safe drinking water, urgent health care, and adequate toilets, which increases the risks of heat exhaustion, sunstroke, and dehydration, and poses a direct threat to the lives and health of the most vulnerable groups, especially children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. She stressed that these conditions demonstrated the urgent need for urgent humanitarian intervention that guarantees the minimum elements of protection and human dignity for the stranded. A severe shortage of basic services on the Sudanese side of the crossing, including safe drinking water and urgent health care. Field information documented by the platform indicates that the crisis is no longer merely a logistical bottleneck or a delay in transit movement, but rather has become linked to exploitative practices and serious violations that placed additional burdens on the returnees, many of whom were forced to make the decision to return to Sudan as a result of the deterioration of their living conditions and the decline in opportunities for protection and stability in the country of asylum. The platform also monitored a clear weakness in the control and regulation of land transport movement between Egypt and Sudan, in light of the activity of a number of transport companies and offices operating in Cairo without clear regulatory frameworks or announced tariffs approved by the competent authorities. Some of these entities exploit the urgent need of returnees to travel by selling tickets that include the trip from Cairo to the final destination inside Sudan in exchange for sums of money collected in advance. However, the platform received identical reports indicating that some transport companies collect the full value of the tickets from travelers. From Cairo to the final destination inside Sudan, then disavowing their contractual obligations after their arrival at the Arqin crossing, and refraining from providing the necessary buses to complete the journey to their final destinations inside Sudan. She stressed that this led to leaving large numbers of returnees, including women, children and the elderly, stranded in the open air for days on end and in harsh weather conditions, without providing alternative means of transportation or any appropriate arrangements to complete their travel, which placed additional financial burdens on families and exposed them to serious humanitarian and health risks, amid the absence of effective oversight and accountability mechanisms that guarantee the protection of travelers’ rights and ensure that transport companies adhere to their contractual obligations. The prices of some flights rose to about 270,000 Sudanese pounds (about 3,000 Sudanese pounds), an increase of more than 50% compared to the usual prices, and increased: “This was accompanied by large and unjustified increases in the prices of transport tickets from the Arqin crossing to Khartoum, as the prices of some flights rose to about 270,000 Sudanese pounds (about 3,000 Sudanese pounds), an increase of more than 50% compared to the usual prices, in clear exploitation of the urgent need of families to reach Its various destinations coincide with the approaching Eid al-Adha. She continued: “The crisis was exacerbated by the reluctance of a number of Sudanese bus companies and owners operating on the Arqin line to transport passengers from the crossing to their destinations inside Sudan, due to disputes related to the pricing of trips and the tariff set by the authorities regulating the transport sector. This led to a severe shortage of available means of transport and the continued accumulation of thousands of people in the vicinity of the crossing for long periods, which prolonged their suffering and exacerbated the health and humanitarian risks facing the most vulnerable groups.” The platform considered that what the Arqin crossing is witnessing represents a worrying example of the dangers of unsafe and undignified returns, as the responsibility of the concerned authorities is not limited only to facilitating crossing procedures, but also extends to ensuring that returnees reach their destinations in conditions that preserve their human dignity and safeguard their right to safety and security. Any arrangements for the return of basic humanitarian standards should also take into account and include effective protection and emergency response mechanisms, especially in border locations with high human densities. The crisis was exacerbated by the reluctance of a number of Sudanese bus companies and owners operating on the Arqin line to transport passengers from the crossing to their destinations inside Sudan. It called for urgent measures to be taken, and called on the Sudanese authorities and the management of the Arqin crossing to impose effective control on the activities of transport companies operating at the crossing, prevent financial exploitation of travelers, investigate complaints related to raising prices or breach of contracts concluded with passengers, hold those involved accountable, and ensure the transportation of all those stranded in a safe and orderly manner and without burdening them. Additional financial burdens, and providing temporary shelters, drinking water, and basic services for travelers during waiting periods. It also called on humanitarian and international organizations to intervene urgently to provide potable water, meals, primary health care, and temporary shelter supplies, and to deploy field teams to monitor humanitarian conditions and provide support to the groups most at risk, especially children, women, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases. It called on the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and the competent regulatory authorities to take urgent measures to control and regulate the activity of transport companies and offices operating on the return line to Sudan, conduct a comprehensive review of the conditions of companies that sell travel tickets to returnees and ensure their compliance with legal licenses and contracts concluded with travellers, establish an effective mechanism to receive passenger complaints, investigate them and hold accountable parties proven to be involved in misleading, breaching their contractual obligations or exploiting the needs of travelers, and requiring transport companies to clearly disclose the prices of services. And flight paths and ensuring that travelers are not left stranded at the borders without suitable means of transportation or alternatives. A human rights platform called on the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and the competent regulatory authorities to take urgent measures to control and regulate the activity of operating transport companies and offices. The platform stressed that protecting human dignity and safety must be a top priority in all arrangements for return and movement, and that the lives of civilians and their basic rights should not be hostage to commercial speculation or administrative and organizational deficiencies. It also calls on all concerned parties to take urgent and coordinated action to put an end to the suffering of the stranded and ensure their passage and arrival to their destinations in safety and dignity, in accordance with humanitarian principles and relevant international standards. The “Hope Committee,” which supervises “voluntary return” trips, announced the launch of the last group of Sudanese returning to their country before the Eid al-Adha holiday, within the framework of the free trips program, which the committee has been organizing for months to facilitate the return of families wishing to settle inside Sudan, noting that the trips witnessed an increasing demand from Sudanese residing in Egypt, amid humanitarian and economic conditions that prompted many to return. She indicated that flights will be temporarily suspended during the Eid holiday, and will be resumed immediately after its end, according to schedules prepared in advance to accommodate all those registered. She confirmed that shipping and transportation operations will return to normal, noting that the stoppage is temporary and only related to holiday conditions.
