DHAKA: At least 15 Sudanese refugees have been shot dead and eight more injured in Egypt’s Sinai region as they reportedly attempted to enter Israel.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Egyptian security officials told the Associated Press that the refugees were killed while caught in the crossfire between security forces and people smugglers on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, however, officials said that security forces had shot the Sudanese as they approached the border fence separating the Sinai and southern Israel.

Most of the people being smuggled through the Sinai are fleeing political violence in Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia, among other countries - risking their lives to make the perilous journey to seek asylum in Israel.

Many have been shot, sometimes fatally, by security forces, while others have been tortured by Egyptian and Sudanese human traffickers, according to human rights groups.

Gerry Simpson, a researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said that Sunday’s ‘tragic killings are nothing new’.

‘Egypt has a record of shooting unarmed sub-Saharan African refugees as they approach Israel’s border,’ he told Al Jazeera.

‘We call on Egypt to end this policy of shooting unarmed (refugees) and investigate those who are responsible for these deaths.’

BDST: 1202 HRS, Nov 16, 2015
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