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Sudan Tribune

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Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff

December 23, 2010 (CAIRO) – Southern Sudanese passengers travelling from Egypt to Juba via Khartoum have told Sudan Tribune that they were verbally abused by staff at Cairo airport on December 22.

After their flight was delayed and they asked for information the Southern Sudanese passengers say they were called “slaves” by airport workers and security personel.

The passengers had already been delayed by more than four hours in Cairo without proper information. At 2PM there was an argument between passengers destined for Juba and those flying to Khartoum.

Passengers were told that the plane would fly on to Juba first before returning to Khartoum due to the delay, as otherwise it would be too late to arrive in the southern capital before sunset.

One of the passengers described the situation at airport as northern Sudanese being on one side with southerners on the other.

In January, the mainly Christian south is expected vote to become independent from the predominantly Islamic north in a referendum, which was agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal.

By the time the dispute was resolved – 3PM – it was too late for the plane to arrive in Juba before sunset so the Juba passengers were removed from the plane and taken to a waiting area while the Khartoum passengers flew to Khartoum.

The passengers told Sudan Tribune that because of heat and lack of water, small children started crying and people started complaining. It was at this point they say they were verbally abused and called “slaves” by airport staff.

At around 7PM the passengers were paid EGP 900.00 (USD 160.70) each as compensation for the delay, and they were taken to the Baron Hotel and were scheduled to leave to Juba on Friday, December 24.

Speaking about the incident, an official from the Government of Southern Sudan office in Cairo told Sudan Tribune, “if the Egypt Air flight to Juba is intended to insult South Sudanese and to humiliate them, please stop Egypt Air flights to Juba! As prior to initiating Egypt Air flight to Juba, Southerners are using Ethiopian Airlines, and they were never insulted and humiliated.

“Egypt Air has to stop their mentality of mistreatment and harassment towards South Sudanese black people if they really wanted good relationship with South Sudan, or otherwise there is no need for Egypt Air to schedule its flights to Juba as this date. And I urge our fellow South Sudanese brothers and sisters in Europe and USA to avoid travelling to Juba through Egypt, but via Kenya or Uganda to avoid Egyptian humiliation and harassment.”

There was also an incident in the first week of December when over 15 Southern Sudanese holding American passports travelling to on their way from the USA to Juba where delayed in Cairo when they were asked to get off the plane.

The passengers were travelling by Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) to Cairo, where they were supposed to get a connecting flight to Juba.

They had boarded an Egypt Air flight to Juba, but after half an hour, they were told to get off and told that the plane was not flying to Juba and put up in various hotels in Egypt’s capital city.

The following day one of the passengers changed his flight and wanted to fly to Juba, but he was barred unless he obtained visa from Sudan Embassy in Cairo. This delayed the passenger for a further five days in Cairo.

Egypt Air started its bi-weekly flights to Juba in June.

(ST)

23 Comments

  • T.O.
    T.O.

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    I think this is the time for South Sudan government to take action toward Egyptian this country had been arousing Southerners for quite sometime now, no matter where you come from United States, European countries you name it; would face delay when going to South Sudan through Egypt I suggest please DO NOT MAKE CONNECTION through Cairo period or you will be killed by these busters.

    Reply
  • LongTweng
    LongTweng

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Just leave Egypt and Khartoum, do not pay your money for their planes.
    They are crying over spills milks. Nile water and oil is this milk they are crying for. IF you all leaves, their economy will sinks and you will not be paying them lot of services.

    Reply
  • mazer
    mazer

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Egyptians in Ancient times were clearly black people
    they proparly came from southern sudan punt or Abbysinya

    by the time (Arabs came to egypt) 640AD it was Already Ancient
    and the black who built these monuments already had A 3000 year legacy

    Arabs never had Anything to do with Ancient egyptian
    or nubia cush at the same time Aras stoled that black culture pharaoh left hes treasures behind
    to say Ancient egyptians were black

    the western peoples that falsley wrote sudanese history and created these two groups in sudan so-called Arab of north sudan who are really black nubians vs the black christian south encouraged the Arabs to look down on the true people who built these great civilisations black people Ancient egyptians said so themselves from the source of the nile south sudan and uganda

    the south should built a new legacy centered around John garang and new cush dot let the Arabs look down on you built A new great prymaid

    from christopher A south Africa from capetown
    that supports your country south sudan to Idependance 2011

    from christopher A south Africa from capetown

    Reply
  • Tobiin
    Tobiin

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Soon we will get rid of these hungry Egyptians who depend on River Nile, second our brothers in the government of south Sudan must adapt tit for tat system to avoid future mistake. there is nothing that we can this is the only way the world can respect us, and Egyptians must be a shame of themselves before they start to insult southerners.

    Reply
  • Martin Noah
    Martin Noah

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    This kind of racism and inhumane treatment of Southerners by Arabs is an unacceptable. This is yet another reason that the Southerners should opt for independent. I would rather be a friend to an animal than having a friendship with an Arab. I hope all Southerners in Egypt take this humiliation to heart and get the hell out of there. It just makes me sick when I see my fellow people being treated like this. For some reasons, Arabs think they are better than everyone else and the world is theirs. When are the good muslims gonna come out and say this has no place in the 21th century if there are any at all?

    Reply
  • jur_likang_a_ likan'g
    jur_likang_a_ likan'g

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Egyptians are the architects of our trouble. Knowledgeable Southerners should have known that centuries ago. The use of their infrastructure for our benefit is shortlived and hollow. Our people should know not to deal with them. Southerners who were in Egypt should have known what “Bunga Bunga”, “Samara”, ” Saa Kam” means. Leave alone those ignorants.

    Reply
  • Bol Deng
    Bol Deng

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    The airport staffs and security personnel called South Sudanese ” slave” while waiting for their flight.

    I am very angry to those desperate Muslim and selfish who are abusing calling South Sudanese “slave”.
    I am happy that those who are always at the Arab butt are able to hear those insult from their masters.

    I am happy that i never been in the Arabs umbrella in whole of my life. These are dead people that we should even eat together or other we should make thick border with them so that we should not see each other.
    I wise someone who call southerners slaves to inuslt people to face them one-one.

    Arabs in general are usless because they are blind by their Islam in which they derive it abuse from slam. Shame on them!

    Reply
  • Aleu
    Aleu

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    The Egyptians and their allies of Northern Sudanese.

    It is unfortunately for Egyptian Airport’s staff to use that language which have absolutely disqualify them internationally. Well, we know it that, the whole Arab brotherhoods are not happy Southern Sudan’s separation but althought they are not happy the separation of Southern Sudan will go ahead whether they like it or not.

    We have been tired about this mistreatment Arab does to us in Sudan’s government for years by treating one side in Sudan dearly while killing others the side and that is the system of Arab people this is why they want to treat Northern Sudanese right at Airport and treat Southern Sudanese people badly, well God is watching those people who abuse human beings on earth and I belief the judgement day for Arab people is coming.

    It is not a surprising for Southerners Sudanese any way to hear such unacceptable word from them, but I stood their behaviors in the middle years of the SPLA/SPLM Movement, when the Cairo government have had withdrawing their supports from the SPLA/SPLM, because their leader which is president he was been mistold by the Khartoum government that, the SPLA leader is fighting against Islamic which is not true because the SPLA/SPLM Movement was combining all ethnic multi beliefs and multi cultures, the SPLA Movement were also fighting against unbalance government, unbalance development in the Sudan nation,injustice and perhaps, Southern Sudanese people will not rest to fights all kinds of human abuse such as the word we hear from Egyptian people in the Airport have no room.

    I think the Egyptian people can says whatever, they want to say it or they can supports Northern Sudanese people as long as they wanted to do so, but in the end of that game, they will realized their negative behaviors in Sudan’s case maybe will put them in trouble shape in term of sharing River Nile which benefiting them from Ethiopia and Southern Sudan and their negative behaviors it could mean denying the 89 milliom people in Egypti nation who are alway want to get use of watering. Egyptian and their alikes Northern Sudanese must thinks twic if they want to continues that way then, the Nile Countries including Southern Sudan will probably find some medicines for them so they will understand that, your act can some time come back and hunt you and we will do it, there is nothing difficult than trying and I want Southern Sudanese to manage all these abuse but in the end we will see those who mistreating us.

    Reply
  • Jada Lotole
    Jada Lotole

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Hi Southerners ! to me,what had been said above is never strange at all! Egyptins have been hating and abusing us the blacks and shall continue to do so as long as they remain slaves of “muhammed” the monistor and father of all lies and hate ! Remember that Egypt is a sataunch ally of the ncp and so, it is not far different from ncp gurus like ghose, bashir, nafie and the likes. Our people need protection from such fanatics and hoodlumps ! Thier Airline Ought to be suspended until we are sure that the safety of our people travelling in thier Airline is guaranteed ! Our government should recall that prevention is better than cure ! These Egyptians are just heartless and am afraid that , they might one day with aid of thier desperate bros in the north do a harm to our people ! But may our living God forbid !

    Reply
  • Obol Sam Gabriel
    Obol Sam Gabriel

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    By the Airport’s staff,really un naked words the only solution is to stop Egypt airline from landing in South Sudan territory in order to stop southern Sudanese from abuse.BY OBOL SAM KING COLLEGE LONDON

    Reply
  • Martin Garang Aher
    Martin Garang Aher

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    This Arab mentality is a poison to themselves. A few days will not kill Southern Sudanese, but a mighty Nile diverting course westwards will spare no water beggars northwards. It is pathetic and pitiful to share a world with mad and inhumane people.

    Reply
  • Deng E. Manyuon
    Deng E. Manyuon

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    I have never been to Egypt. But, I have heard a lot of stories about Egypt’s mistreatment of Southern Sudanese refugees who were living in Egypt between 1980-2005. Egypt has to choose now whether to continue with its hostile activities or open new page.
    Nothing to gain by having diplomatic relationship with Egypt. Nothing to lose by breaking up the current tie with Egypt.
    May God give peace to the victims of Egypt mistreatment during the civil war in Sudan.

    Deng

    Reply
  • Murr
    Murr

    Southern Sudanese called “slaves” by Cairo airport staff
    Egypt is a hell on Earth as far as fellow Southern Sudanese who had lived there are concern.IT’S therefor wise to use other Air services…Ethiopian Airline for instance..

    The airport staff misunderstood the word SLAVE” because the people they were calling slaves are certainly not so.

    Any one who thinks that blacks are slaves, is suffering from Biochemical Brain Imbalance.. which most Egyptians are suffering from.

    DEATH TO AN ISLAMIC TERRORISTS STATE OF EGYPT!!!!

    Reply
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