Shame on all

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The year 2005 wouldn't go away without firing one last shot. Adding to the trail of violence and disaster that it left in its wake, the year came to a horrendous ending. Some 28 Sudanese refugees were killed and around 150 injured, including 75 Egyptian policemen, following a violent confrontation between police and 2,000 Sudanese refugees in Cairo. The refugees had been camping in a public park for nearly three months.

Nothing justifies the excessive use of force against innocent people. The Sudanese refugees had not taken control of one corner of one of Cairo's main squares -- Mustafa Mahmoud Square in Mohandessin -- for no reason. They have a problem; one with four aspects.

First, the Sudanese government hasn't paid enough heed to refugees who had to flee from domestic turbulence to neighbouring countries. Many were forced away from their homes and the current government isn't doing much to help them.

Second, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has not done enough. The refugees were under the impression that they would be resettled in a third country, but their hopes were exaggerated. Since third countries have the final say in how many refugees they're willing to take, the UNHCR had no way of meeting the expectations of the thousands of refugees now stranded in Egypt.

Third, the refugees left their homes with unrealistic dreams. They were hoping that Australia, Europe, and the US would receive them with open arms, which wasn't the case. Immigration is getting harder all the time, even for highly qualified candidates, especially Muslims. Not many countries are willing to receive large numbers of refugees.

Fourth, the Egyptian government was wrong to let large numbers of refugees into the country without being prepared for the consequences. The government let the refugees take over part of Mustafa Mahmoud Square in the immediate vicinity of embassies and foreign companies. The situation was untenable, however, and the government needed to clear the square. But how did it do it? As TV cameras rolled, the world was treated to the gruesome scene of Egyptian police kicking and beating stranded refugees. The consequences were tragic.

Something has gone wrong. A well-trained police force should be able to disband a group of people without killing them. Something has gone seriously wrong on the political level also. It was no secret that the park had women, children, and old people inside.

Demonstrations and sit-ins take place everyday. And police everywhere disband them without causing fatalities, at least not on such scale. Sadly enough, this is not the first time. Had we investigated the killings that took place in the last election campaign, perhaps this tragedy would've been averted.

The Arab satellite networks and media were a disappointment, once again. The media waited for three long months, until the catastrophe happened, then started blaming the international community for the consequences. The media should have given us an early warning, rather than wait till it was too late. The Arab media, especially the satellite networks, are too busy settling accounts with the Arab regime to report on the problems of the public. That's sad.