From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Sep 23 2009 - 12:01:43 EDT
Egypt guards shoot Eritrean
2009-09-23 10:38
Rafah - Egyptian border guards have fatally shot an Eritrean man and wounded
another trying to cross the border with Israel.
It is the eighth African shot at the border this month.
Security and hospital officials say the men were illegal migrants trying to
cross into Israel near the Egyptian border town of Rafah on Tuesday.
They say the men ignored warning shots.
Three Ethiopians travelling with them told police they had paid Bedouin
traffickers $1 000 each to cross the border.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorised to speak to the media.
Hundreds of Africans seeking jobs try to reach Israel every year. Egypt has
killed dozens of migrants at the border, drawing criticism from rights
groups.
Rights groups blast Egypt
2009-09-23 11:39
Al-Arish - Egypt has come under fire from international human rights groups
for shooting at African migrants trying to cross illegally into Israel.
The rights groups criticised as heavy-handed the actions of Egypt's border
forces. According to London-based Amnesty International, dozens of migrants
have been killed while trying to illegally cross into Israel from Egypt
since 2008. Israeli groups say thousands more have succeeded.
The criticism comes amid reports that Egyptian border guards fatally shot an
Eritrean man and seriously wounded a second as they tried to cross into
Israel on Wednesday.
Police said border guards opened fire on five people trying to cross the
border illegally on Tuesday night after the group failed to respond to
orders to stop.
The wounded man was taken to hospital in the nearby town of al-Arish with
wounds to his abdomen and foot, police said.
Three Ethiopians arrested with the group said they had paid
human-traffickers the equivalent of 500 dollars to help them sneak across
the border, police said.
On Saturday, police confirmed that border guards had shot and wounded a
20-year-old Ethiopian man as he tried to make the crossing. The man had been
one of a group of migrants from several African countries confronted by
border guards.
Last week, just days after Egyptian government officials defended the use of
force along the Egypt-Israel border, two Eritreans were shot dead.
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