EL-ARISH: Egyptian police shot dead a Sudanese migrant on Wednesday as he tried to cross illegally into Israel near the border town of Rafah, a security official said.
Police opened fire on a Sudanese migrant who was trying to cross the frontier into Israel south of Rafah. He was hit by a bullet in the chest and died of his wounds, the official told AFP.
Two other Sudanese migrants who were with him were arrested by police as they tried to cross the border, he added.
The shooting brought to 24 the number of migrants killed this year by Egyptian police along the 250-km border with Israel.
African migrants in Egypt complain of poor treatment and discrimination. Hundreds have been arrested trying to slip into Israel.
The border has become a major transit route for migrants, asylum-seekers and drug smugglers. Israel has asked Egypt to clamp down on the traffic.
In August, Amnesty International urged the Egyptian government to launch an investigation into the use of lethal force against illegal migrants. -AFP
