UN refugee agency urges Egypt to help release abducted Eritreans

UN refugee agency urges Egypt to help release abducted Eritreans

2010-12-08 10:36:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The U.N. refugee agency on Tuesday urged Egypt to help in securing the release of around 250 Eritreans abducted for about month by traffickers in the Sinai.

There is very little information regarding the abducted group but traffickers reportedly demanded payments of $8,000 per individual for their release. The UN refugee agency added that the people are being held in containers and are subjected to abuses.

"We are, at this time, in contact with the Egyptian Government over this matter," Adrian Edwards, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "Egypt's Ministry of Interior has assured us that around the clock efforts are underway to locate the hostages and release them."

UNHCR informed that thousands of people attempt to cross the border from Egypt to Israel every year. Many times, these individuals turn to Bedouin traffickers to help them, despite that they have little regard for the individuals’ safety.

Many of these people are migrants and some others came from other countries, such as Eritrea, seeking refugee. The UNHCR considers the people fleeing from Eritrea as refugees.

"UNHCR has been advocating with the Egyptian authorities for access to people who are detained in the course of making this journey, with a view to being able to determine those among them who are refugees and in need of international protection," added Edwards.

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