Israel is trying to persuade African states to take in Darfur refugees who slip across Israel’s border.
Thousands of undocumented migrants from Africa have crossed into Israel in recent months on foot from the Egyptian Sinai. Some are refugees from fighting in Darfur, others are laborers seeking work.
Unable to accommodate the influx, Israel recently has dispatched diplomats to ask states such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Ivory Coast and Benin to take in the Africans, Israel’s Army Radio reported Thursday.
According to the report, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has offered payment for any asylum deal. While there has been no breakthrough, some of the African states are considering the Israeli overture.
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