10 die outside UN office
2005-12-30 21:49
Cairo - At least 10 Sudanese refugees were killed on Friday after several thousand Egyptian riot police using sticks and water cannon forcibly broke up a protest outside the United Nations offices.
Police armed with batons and shields stormed the small square, where the Sudanese had been camping at about 05:00 after failing to convince the refugees to end a three-month sit-in.
The interior ministry said: "There was a stampede that left 30 of the protesters injured, most of them the elderly and young and they were immediately taken to the hospital, where 10 of them died."
The UN high commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply shocked" by the deaths.
'This is a terrible tragedy'
He said: "There is no justification for such violence and loss of life. This is a terrible tragedy and our condolences go to all the families of those who died and to the injured."
Several people were being dragged away from the mayhem as refugees - including dozens of women and small children - tried to resist their evacuation.
The refugees were forced into dozens of buses in Cairo's upmarket neighbourhood of Mohandessin, ending a standoff that had lasted most of the night.
One protester shouted: "They want to kill us. Our demands are legitimate, it is our right to protest here, the only right we have."
Water cannon disperses refugees
Police - numbering close to 5 000 for the operation - initially used water cannon to disperse the refugees.
At dawn, the square in front of the Mustafa Mahmud mosque, wedged between plush high-rises and banks, had been turned into a desolate field littered with mattresses, blankets and personal belongings.
Clothes spilled out of suitcases while refugee cards and family photo albums floated in puddles of water.
Most protestors were taken to a sealed military training camp in Tora Balad, a town 30km south of central Cairo, which was home to a large prison notorious for its political detentions.
One refugee claimed that another three children died of their wounds in the dormitories, where they were herded by security.
Refugees suffering from diseases
A refugee from southern Sudan who identified himself only as Bob, said: "Three children died after we arrived."
He said police brought in doctors to treat light injuries, while the more serious cases were evacuated by ambulance.
Many refugees were already suffering from diseases caused by the deterioration of sanitary conditions in the crowded camp.
The Egyptian foreign ministry offered no apology for the deaths and emphasised that the operation was necessary as the refugees were violating the law.
The Cairo governor ordered the distribution of blankets and hot meals.