CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt has adopted its first-ever asylum, but it has sparked concerns among human rights groups who warn it takes a “security-focused approach” that could undermine refugee protections.
Signed into law by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the legislation comes as Egypt faces a severe economic crisis and fallout from regional conflicts, including Sudan and Gaza.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) says Egypt is receiving hundreds of Sudanese refugees daily, with more than 845,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered as of November.
Official estimates suggest Egypt now hosts more than nine million “guests” -- the government term for refugees and migrants.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the nine million includes all who entered Egypt, regardless of legal status or migration reason.
For decades, the UNHCR managed refugee registration under a 1954 agreement, but the new law shifts these responsibilities to Egyptian authorities.
The law creates a permanent refugee committee under the prime minister to oversee asylum applications and services.
Activists argue the law was rushed without consultation with civil society organizations or the UNHCR.
“The law was passed through with a great deal of urgency and secrecy,” Karim Ennarah, director of the research unit at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), told AFP.
UNHCR declined an AFP request for comment.
Parliamentarians defended the law.
“The urgency in enacting the legislation arises from the necessity of having a framework,” Tarek Radwan, head of the parliament’s human rights committee, said, citing the country’s geopolitical challenges and the growing refugee population.
“No country can manage a steady rise in refugee numbers without regulations to govern their presence,” he told AFP.
The government says the law aligns with international treaties and aims to streamline refugee data by integrating its databases with those of the UNHCR.
However, critics say the law adopts “a security-focused approach”.
A major concern is a clause granting authorities the power to take “necessary measures” against refugees during wartime, counter-terrorism operations or national security crises.
Another controversial provision criminalizes housing refugees without notifying the police, punishable by imprisonment.
The law also requires refugees who enter Egypt illegally to apply for asylum within 45 days of arrival.