Protest

2000 Sudanese have been camping outside of UNHCR-Cairo's office for the past two weeks. They are protesting UNHCR's suspension of interviews and resettlment for Sudanese for the past year+. Given the peace plan between the north and south, UNHCR thought it wise to wait-n-see how things were going, in hopes that the Sudanese could begin to go home.

The situation for Sudanese in Egypt is difficult: it's hard to get work or send children to school; police have carried out raids against blacks in the past. The Sudanese protesters have issued a list of demands, including resettlement to a 3rd country and a reopening of closed files. That won't happen.

Stopping ALL Sudanese interviews is problematic. There are obviously people fleeing Darfur that have legimate asylum claims. But open interviews to a certain ethnicity, or people from a certain region, and you'll be accused of discriminating (but wouldn't that discrimination be justified?).

Time to email my refugees sources in Cairo!

For more: http://news.morningstar.com/news/DJ/M10/D10/200510101551DOWJONESDJONLINE000495.html