Despite Desire for Egypt to Play Leading Role in Brokering Peace in Sudan, Some Egyptians are Reluctant to Host Refugees

 

Tracking Global Events | 1 May 2023

A power struggle between the heads of two of Sudan’s most powerful armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the national army, erupted in violence on April 15th. Since then, thousands of people have crossed the border from Sudan to Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic. We sent out a survey to our Egyptian network to better understand our contributors’ views on this influx of refugees from Sudan.

Insights

  • When asked about the current size of the refugee and immigrant population in Egypt, 35% of respondents strongly agree that “there are too many refugees and immigrants,” while 37% somewhat agree and 23% are neutral.
  • When asked about Sudanese refugees, 47% of respondents say they would be “worried if the number of Sudanese refugees in Egypt continues to increase,” while 42% would not be worried, and the remaining 11% did not have an opinion.
  • More than half (53%) of respondents think the conflict in Sudan will affect safety and security in Egypt.

One issue affecting those in Sudan trying to cross the border to Egypt is the difficulty of procuring a visa. The law requires visas for Sudanese men between 16 and 50, and some families are now forced to leave their loved ones behind.

  • We asked our contributors for their thoughts on a visa requirement at a time like this and found that they are evenly split, with 42% saying people should be required to get a visa and another 42% saying otherwise.
  • However, there was a clear winner when contributors were asked what role the Egyptian government should play in brokering peace in Sudan, with 80% of respondents saying that Egypt should play a leading role.

Methodology

Using a method of convenience sampling, Premise received 484 survey responses across Egypt that highlight Egyptian sentiment on the conflict in Sudan, the influx of refugees and migrants, and the role people think the Egyptian government should play in brokering peace and assisting the migrants. In cases requiring rapid data collection, we utilize this type of nonprobability sampling involving the sample being drawn from the population that is ready to assist.

Premise in Action

Premise offers a unique ability to quickly source information from real people on the ground in hard-to-reach places. Over five million people in 140 countries are using the Premise app on their smartphones, enabling our customers to monitor a situation over time and employ a data-driven approach to timely decision-making.