AL-ARISH: Egyptian police shot and wounded an Ethiopian man on Wednesday as he tried to cross the border illegally into Israel, a security official said.
The 28-year-old man was shot in the foot by police south of the border town of Rafah. He had failed to stop following police warnings, the official told AFP.
He was taken to Al-Arish hospital (in north Sinai) for treatment and his condition is stable, the official said.
This year, Egyptian forces have killed at least 16 people among groups trying to cross into Israel from the Sinai in search of work. The latest casualties included a Sudanese girl aged seven who was shot dead last month.
Dozens of illegal immigrants, mostly Africans, have also been arrested in the past year.
The 250-km frontier between the two countries is notoriously porous and is often used by drugs smugglers and people traffickers.
Last Monday, gunmen trying to smuggle a group of African immigrants into Israel shot dead an officer in Egypt s border police.
In February, human rights group Amnesty International slammed Egypt s use of force at the border. -AFP
