Egypt-Israel border
Photo: AP
Egypt police kill Sudanese migrant at Israel border
27-year-old Sudanese man shot dead during shootout between Egyptian guards, people traffickers
Egyptian border guards shot dead an unarmed Sudanese migrant as he tried to flee into Israel during a shootout with people traffickers at the Israeli border on Tuesday, a security source said.
The traffickers opened fire on police stationed near the Karam Abu Salem crossing after the guards tried to halt the small lorry they were in as it approached the barbed wire that separates Egypt and Israel, the source said.
Police shot the 27-year-old Sudanese man in the stomach as he tried to escape towards the Israeli side.
The traffickers and at least four migrants escaped back into Egypt, the source added.
Egyptian security forces have killed at least three migrants this year, the latest on Sunday, after stepping up efforts to control the border with Israel last year.
Police killed at least 19 migrants, mostly unarmed Africans seeking work or asylum in Israel, and injured at least 28 last year.
The politically sensitive Sinai border region is a main transit route for African migrants, and Egypt has come under pressure from Israel to staunch the flow.
Egypt, which for years tolerated tens of thousands of African migrants on its territory, also fears the unfettered movement of migrants could pose a security threat in an area where Islamist militants sometimes find refuge.
