Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly has appointed former State Information Service chair Salah Eddin Abdel Sadeq to lead the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs, the new state body for reviewing asylum applications under Egypt's recent law. The appointment occurs before the issuance of implementing bylaws, amid ongoing security campaigns leading to the arrest and deportation of thousands of refugees. Rights groups have criticized the law for lacking consultation.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly issued a decision appointing Salah Eddin Abdel Sadeq, who served as head of the State Information Service from 2013 to 2016, to lead the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs for four years. The decision was published in the Official Gazette on February 16. The committee, established under the new asylum law ratified by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in December 2024, will for the first time review asylum applications—a role previously managed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The appointment comes without announcing other members or operational mechanisms, and after delays beyond the timelines set in the law, which requires forming the committee within three months and issuing bylaws within six months. Sources in immigration law and administration described it as a partial step that does not fully clarify the law's status. It followed discussions with UNHCR representatives on draft bylaws, though the government did not share a copy.
Meanwhile, Egypt is conducting an ongoing security campaign that has led to the arrest, detention, and deportation of between 5,000 and 10,000 people, according to lawyers' estimates, while a source close to UNHCR puts the figure at around 3,000, half of them Syrians. The source expressed concern over the European Union's unconditional support for Egypt's refugee management without pressuring for improvements through aid suspension.
In an official statement, UNHCR confirmed awareness of the rising detentions and ongoing contact with Egyptian authorities to ensure due process and protection. The agency received assurances that registered asylum seekers and refugees will be released in line with international law. Lawyer Ahmed Mamdouh, specializing in refugee cases, said he has attended daily investigations with dozens of refugees for the past two months, calling it the longest and most intense campaign in five years, with detentions even for those holding UNHCR cards, valid residency permits, or passports. He noted that the fear has kept many refugees at home and out of work, amounting to what he termed "disguised deportation."
