Egyptian security men shot dead two African migrants on Thursday as they tried to slip across the frontier into Israel, bringing to 10 the number of migrants killed at the border this year, security sources said.

The sources said security forces opened fire on the two men, both in their 30s and believed to be from Ivory Coast, after they refused orders to stop at the border.

Egyptian police have killed eight other migrants on the desert border since the start of the year and detained scores of others, mostly from Africa.

Rights group Amnesty International has called for an investigation into the killings and says Israel has pressed Egypt to reduce the flow of people crossing illegally.

The London-based rights group says thousands of migrants try to cross to Israel from Egypt's Sinai peninsula each year, with numbers rising since 2007.

The migrants, including many from Sudan and a growing number from Eritrea, are seeking work or asylum away from conflict at home and harsh living conditions in Egypt, where activists say African migrants face economic marginalisation and racism.