Cairo - Seven Sudanese refugees and three Egyptian police officers were injured on Wednesday as a demonstration against a perceived lack of United Nations refugee services degenerated into street clashes between anti-riot police and a crowd of around 1 000 protestors.

The protestors, all Sudanese refugees in Egypt, were staging a demonstration in front of the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo to protest the lack of services provided by the commission, when violence flared.

Demonstrators threw stones toward the UNHCR building, breaking window panes and damaging cars parked in the area.

They carried banners demanding better services by the United Nations.

A building security kiosk was also destroyed as demonstrators demanded to meet the UNHCR director.

There was no reaction or comment from the UNHCR offices. The angry crowd was left to be controlled by anti-riot police, who used tear gas to disperse them.

Security sources said 15 Sudanese were arrested following the clashes.

Around 50 000 Sudanese are registered as refugees in Egypt but unofficial figures indicate that the true number may be ten times as many. Most hail from southern Sudan, and have fled a 20-year civil war in which up to two million people have died. - Sapa-dpa

Published on the Web by IOL on 2004-08-25 17:42:04