In the autumn of 2005, a group of young male Sudanese refugees organized a protest against the policies of the UNHCR in Cairo. Using the protest as a vehicle for exploring the difficulties encountered by young Sudanese men, and their motivations for initiating or joining the protest, this study examines the ways in which pursuit of personal and collective agency intersect with ideals of masculine respectability and attainment. Cairo Papers in Social Science 29:4