Egypt rebuffs any refugee camps on its lands

Egypt totally rejects setting up any camps for refugees on its lands, a Foreign Ministry official said on Monday, noting that an Al-Salloum border camp was set up at exceptional circumstances. The camp, which is located in the desert between the Libyan border and Egypt s Al-Salloum border checkpoint, is home to 1,100 African refugees, said Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Saleh al-Wesimi at the Shura Council's Arab and Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee. The committee was debating an interpellation by lawmaker Abdel Kerim Qassam in which he accused the African refugees in the camp of trading in arms and drugs. The African refugees have been living at the UNHCR administered camp near Al-Salloum border crossing since they fled violence during Libya s civil war. "Egypt does not bear the accommdation fees of those refugees," Wesimi said. He noted that Egyptian security forces are only deployed outside the camp as refugees get provoked with any security element inside. Essam Beshri, representative of the National Securiy Agency, said the camp is underthe security control of police, the army, border guards and military intelligence. He stressed that there are daily crackdowns on the camp to eliminate any emerging criminal hotbeds.