CAIRO: Egypt deported 37 Sudanese prisoners who had been pardoned by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi before New Suez Canal inauguration on Aug. 6, Youm7 reported Saturday.
The 37 Sudanese came from a group of 44 imprisoned Sudanese miners, who were pardoned by Sisi in exchange for 101 Egyptian fishermen released by the Sudanese authorities early August.
The miners were transferred to a hotel in Cairo where they stayed Thursday night.
On Monday, Youm7 reported that the families of the detained Sudanese were planning demonstrations Monday in front of state-run newspapers in Khartoum calling for their release as they were still in the Egyptian prisons.
The delay in the release of the 44 Sudanese was because “the detainees were in more than one prison,” according to the Sudanese Newspaper al-Youm al-Tali.
Sisi pardoned the 44 detainees after being arrested for attempting to enter Egypt illegally.
On Aug. 5, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir pardoned 101 Egyptian fishermen detained since April for allegedly trespassing into Sudanese territorial waters without permission, according to ashrooq.net.