Egypt and Discontent

In Egypt protests against the ruling regime has once again returned and so has the mass arrests. More than 2,800 people have been detained during the protests. Egyptian security forces blocked access to Cairo’s revolutionary heart – Tahrir Square. Last week the city’s main metro stations were closed and traffic was diverted, while police vans roamed, their sirens echoing through the empty streets. Yet barricading the square did not keep everyone at home – dozens of protesters were dispersed by tear gas in several districts around and just outside the city.

"President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government has orchestrated this crackdown to crush the slightest sign of dissent and silence every government critic," said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty's North Africa campaign director. "The wave of unprecedented mass arrests, which included many who were not even involved in the protests, sends a clear message - anyone perceived to pose a threat to Sisi's government will be crushed." 

“I don’t care about politics, but I have been struggling to have a decent life for my children since the president came to power,” one demonstrator told The Independent. “Their economists say everything is improving, but how can that be if my income has almost halved in value?..This is all happening while al-Sisi builds palaces for his family and friends.” 

A recent report by the government estimated that some 32 million of the country’s 100 million population are under the poverty line. With non-governmental organisations banned from conducting any surveys, the figure could be much higher.