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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Jan 25 2011 - 07:26:19 EST
*
http://www.tolerance.ca/Article.aspx?ID=102887&L=en
Trafficking in human beings in the northern Sinai is a plague
*
By Roberto Malini
*Rome (Italy) - Trafficking in human beings in the northern Sinai is a
plague that Egypt is preparing to face in 2011 with a special anti-terrorism
unit. The Egyptian government is setting up a special body whose goal is to
stamp out trafficking in human beings and weapons. *
The Special Corp uses tanks, helicopters and heavy artillery: a sign that
the Egyptian government has reached an agreement with Israel for a
derogation from the Camp David accords of 1978, which required the Egyptian
security forces on the border to use only light weapons.
Meanwhile, the Eritrean priest, Mussič Zerai, had been in contact with a
second group of migrant prisoners in the Sinai. Don Zerai promptly launched
the alarm, and we have carried out investigations in an attempt to identify
the locations where the migrants are being held.
According to the information in our possession, when the group of migrants
left Sudan and crossed into Egypt, there were 60 African refugees.
Traffickers of the Rashaida tribe have asked each of them to pay $3000.
In Sinai, however, the group has been divided into two. The one we are in
contact with consists of 38 refugees, including 8 women. They are being held
in a prison camp, chained hand and foot in metal shipping containers.
The young prisoner in contact with Zerai has provided valuable information
for the investigations of the human rights defenders. The group is located
near the border with Israel, close to an airport used by a multinational
force.
We have enough information to locate the place of detention: El Gorah,
north-east of Sinai, where there is an airbase used by the Multinational
Force and Observers (MFO). There are some properties near the airport of El
Gorah that belong to Bedouins and which have already been singled out during
investigations into human trafficking.
El Gorah is an organized crime stronghold that has its centre in the nearby
Al Arish, the capital of the Northern Sinai Governorate, which is being
controlled by Palestinians bosses born in Egypt who work alongside members
of the Al Tarabin tribe. Recent police operations have proved their links to
Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Fatah.
Profits from trafficking are used to fund terrorism and this gang - whose
members call themselves 'Arabs' - is well-known for its violent responses to
the local law enforcement, and has led to many victims among police
officers. These 'Arabs' corrupt security forces and carry out their trade
virtually undisturbed.
Our group has received reports of other groups of migrants being detained at
El Gorah in large tents or confined in underground metal shipping
containers, hidden in the Bedouin fruit orchards of El Gorah.
A number of Ethiopians and Eritreans work for the "Arabs", and they
communicate with the refugees in their own language. The name of the
Eritrean guardian assigned to the new group of refugees is Araya
Tesfamicael. Based on this information, Agenzia Habeshia and EveryOne Group
have asked for urgent action to be taken by the Egyptian government to free
the migrants and control the tents and fruit orchards where we suspect other
migrants are being held. The humanitarian organizations are asking the
nations of the MFO (as well as Egypt, Israel and the United States), the UN
and the EU institutions, to do everything in their power and adopt all
diplomatic means to convince the Egyptian authorities to take immediate
action.
January 20th, 2011
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