Tag: egypt

Egyptian Belly Dancer Sama el-Masry Jailed for ‘Debaucherous’ TikToks

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A Cairo court handed controversial Egyptian dancer and TV star Sama el-Masry a three-year jail sentence on Saturday after finding her guilty of “inciting debauchery and immorality.”

El-Masry is one of a slew of female Egyptian Instagram and TikTok stars caught up in a recent government crackdown and detained on charges of “inciting debauchery and immorality” and “promoting prostitution.” 

The 40-year-old belly dancer was first arrested on April 23 after her fellow citizens, including rival TV presenter Reham Saheed, reported a number of “sexually suggestive” videos to police. El-Masry’s initial four-day detention was renewed a number of times in the lead up to her trial, which took place in Cairo’s  Economic Misdemeanors Court on June 27. 

The judge convicted el-Masry of violating Egyptian society’s morals by posting immoral pictures and videos and sentenced her to three years prison, fined her EGP 300,000 ($18,560), and ordered surveillance against her for three years. 

Egypt’s highly conservative society is struggling to cope with the freedom of expression new social media platforms like TikTok permit women, and the government has not shied away from using far-reaching internet censorship laws to lock controversial women up.

“[These laws] condemn people for their behavior that may not conform to imagined social standards for how to be a ‘good citizen’ and a respectful woman,” Egyptian feminist Ghadeer Ahmed said in defense of el-Masry in April. 

Conservative lawmaker John Talaat disagrees, saying “there is a huge difference between freedom and debauchery,” in response to el-Masry’s conviction. 

Talaat has led the charge against “immoral” influencers like el-Masry and fellow TikTok star  

Haneen Hossam, who found herself in hot water for posting videos offering women a way to make money in exchange for creating social media content. 

Talaat told the Reuters Thomson Foundation that they are a threat to Egypt’s family values and traditions while engaging in conduct illegal in the North African country. 

El-Masry strongly denies the charges and argues the viral content came from a stolen phone and was posted as part of a campaign against her for her political views. In 2015, the outspoken dancer and influential television presenter was convicted for criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood during its short one-year reign. 

Read also: Egypt Cracks Down on Female TikTok Stars for Alleged ‘Debauchery’

Egypt Takes $5.2 Billion IMF Loan to Support Economy

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The International Monetary Fund in Washington DC has approved Cairo’s request for a $5.2 billion one-year loan. The loan that will have to be repaid within a year adds to a separate $2.77 billion package of “emergency support” granted to Egypt on May 11, to assist the country in its struggle to stop its COVID-19 epidemic.

The IMF considers Egypt to be somewhat of a pre-coronavirus success story as it complied with IMF demands for increased privatization, cutting public spending, and deregulation of industry. In May, an IMF statement said, “as the crisis abates, measures to lower the debt level would need to resume along with continued implementation of structural reforms to increase the role of the private sector.”

Egypt-IMF relationship

But the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on tourism, global trade and oil prices has significantly impacted Egypt’s economy. Egypt relies heavily on revenues from its hotels and resorts on the Red Sea as well as tourism to its historic landmarks. Reductions in global trade have meant Egyptian state coffers see shipping fees from its vital Suez Canal reduced significantly while oil and gas revenues from Egypt’s growing energy sector similarly fell dramatically.

The fact that Egypt had recently completed a three-year economic reform plan as part of a $12 billion IMF loan that concluded in 2019 appears to have done little for the country’s economic resilience, but further austerity and privatization would eventually produce better results, according to the Fund.

Foreign priorities

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had received praise from his Western backers and international bankers for implementing unpopular austerity measures that caused a dramatic rise in prices for essential goods for poor and middle class Egyptians, including a large increase in the price of electricity and drinking water. But the moves have helped “attract foreign investment,” justifying praise from the Egyptian government’s financiers.

Egypt’s transition to the neoliberal economy that foreign powers mandate has done little to produce an effective COVID-19 response. Like other countries that follow this economic mantra, such as Brazil, the US, the UK and India, COVID-19 cases have exploded with little government assistance to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

Local suffering

Egypt’s government has distributed monthly assistance of $31 for informal workers, who make up a significant section of those working in its hospitality industry. The limited support for Egyptian citizens has seen 73% of Egyptian households report a decline in their incomes over the past months.

Like Brazil, the US, and the UK, Egypt is now rushing to reopen its economy, even though it recorded 1,625 new cases on June 26, with 62,755 total confirmed cases and 2,620 deaths. The necessity to bring in revenue appears to have outweighed any desire to control the local epidemic as hygiene standards and social distancing are seen as sufficient to again receive foreign tourists.

Egyptian citizens will have to again brace for austerity measures that cut government support for the poor and increase the cost of living, while the government hopes that this time, the IMF’s demands will produce the “resilient” economy that its financiers have repeatedly promised.

Egyptian farmers hit hard by COVID-19 remittances slump

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COVID-19 has pushed Egyptians migrant workers who would normally support their families by working in GCC countries or Europe back home and into the fields, slashing remittance income for poor farming families and cutting agricultural output.

Agriculture is considered the most resilient sector of Egypt’s economy but that has not stopped poor farming families from feeling the brunt of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In April, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) warned that poor households—and especially those in rural areas— would likely suffer the most from lower remittances. 

Two months on, farmers such as Abdel-Qader Mustafa, from Qena in Upper Egypt, are feeling the reality of the global economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

Mustafa’s son used to work in Saudi Arabia, sending back roughly LE 2,000 ($124) to supplement his family’s income each month.  

“Due to the coronavirus, my son could not go back to his work in Saudi Arabia after the end of his annual vacation in February. Since then, he has been taking money from us,” Mustafa told Egypt Today.  

As a result, all seven members of Mustafa’s family have been pushed back into working the agricultural fields where they earn as little as LE 15 to LE 20 ($0.90 to $1.20) per day.  

Mustafa’s son is amongst the 20,000 Egyptian workers that have been either repatriated or deported from Gulf Cooperation Countries and European nations as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns and declining oil revenues.  

Egypt’s higher-income households who rely mostly on the services sector for their income have seen the largest COVID-19 losses in absolute terms, but the IFPRI says “the poor may find it harder to cope.”

The rural-urban differentiation 

“Rural households also lose, but less than their urban counterparts.” IFPRI says this is explained mostly by stronger economic growth in the agricultural sector and its ability to keep operating through the virus crisis. 

“While the income losses of the rural and urban poor are smaller compared to the non-poor in absolute terms, poor households are likely to find it harder than wealthier households to cope with such income losses.” 

That is in part because they already have significantly lower monthly incomes than their urban counterparts, meaning even a small reduction could push them closer to poverty. They are also more heavily reliant on remittances, a fact that Egyptian Farmers Syndicate chief Hussein Abdel-Rahman says is having a big impact on farming families. 

Abdel-Rahman recognizes “the decline in remittances would have a great impact on Egypt generally,” but says farmers and their families who constitute 55 million citizens, around 50% of Egypt’s population, are really feeling the pinch. 

“The plunge of the remittances led to weakness in the purchase power and a decline in the living conditions in the rural areas,” he told Egypt Today on Thursday.

The union boss also reports that the drop in remittances, and income more generally, has led to a decrease in cultivation with farmers planning to plant three instead of the usual five feddans (1 feddan = 1.037 acres) this year. According to Abdel-Rahman, reduced purchasing power is already pushing poor rural Egyptians towards low-quality imported meat, and lower crop plantings could drive food prices up further in the future. 

Another factor creating hardship for rural Egyptians are limits on cash withdrawals.  

“Also, farmers sometimes find difficulties in taking the remittances as he/she is not allowed [by the banks] to withdraw all [the] amount of the remittances at once from banks,” Abdel-Rahman said. 

 Read also: Lebanon and Egypt to Suffer Severe Impacts of COVID-19 Remittances Slump

 

Google Honors Egyptian Feminist Pioneer Huda Sharawi

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Born in Minya in 1879 to an upper class family, Huda Sharawi was a lifelong advocate for women’s rights. From an early age she opposed the restrictions imposed on women and began to agitate for change. 

Huda began her formal activism with a series of lectures, organized for women, on a variety of topics. These lectures brought many women outside of the home for the first time. In 1908, with the support of women from Egypt’s high society, Huda opened a dispensary and organized hygiene classes for women living in poverty. In 1919, Huda and her supporters expanded their operations to include reading and writing classes for illiterate poor women. 

In 1923, Huda created the Egyptian Feminist Union, which she served as president of until her death in 1947. The union was dedicated to advancing women’s rights, including aims of allowing them access to university and the right to work and hold public office. The union’s work led to the introduction of 16 years as the legal minimum age of marriage for girls and the codification of the rights of girls to a secondary education. 

Removing the face veil 

In 1923, following a trip to Italy to attend a meeting of the International Women Suffrage Alliance, Huda publicly removed her veil at the Cairo train station and encouraged other women to do the same. A number of her colleagues followed suit. 

Her friend and colleague Cesa Nabaraoui later explained the women’s motivations for doing so: “We can’t say that we are free in Rome and then wear the veil again upon our return [to Egypt].” 

At the time, the face veil was worn exclusively by upper class women, with poorer women and women in rural areas covering only their hair. The veil was therefore as much a sign of social stratification as it was of religious devotion. Rejecting the face veil was an important step in fostering solidarity between women of different social classes. 

Many have described the public removal of her face veil as one of Huda’s most memorable acts of protest. 

Fight for Egypt’s independence 

Alongside her work to advance women’s rights, Huda was also actively involved in the movement to end the British protectorate in Egypt. 

In 1919, she helped organize the largest women’s demonstration against colonialism in Cairo and the following year formed and led the women’s arm of the movement for independence. 

In 1922, the British acquiesced to Egyptian demands for independence, but women were excluded from participating in negotiating the terms. 

In 1924, Huda expressed her disappointment to then Prime Minister Saad Zaghloul, alongside whom she had fought for independence, writing, “It is completely unjust that the Egyptian Wafd, which fights for the rights of Egypt and its liberation, denied half of the population the gains made from this liberation.”

Legacy 

Huda Sharawi’s activism changed the lives of millions of Egyptian women across social classes. Google’s recognition of her work on the 141st anniversary of her birth is fitting tribute to her ongoing legacy.  

Egypt Claims Right to Intervene in Libya

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced on Saturday Egypt’s intentions to intervene within its troubled neighbor’s borders if the Libyan conflict moves further east. The call comes in response to repeated advances by the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) that is making gains against the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).

After being besieged in the country’s capital Tripoli for a year, GNA forces have enjoyed new momentum after a significant military intervention by Turkey. In exchange for drilling rights in Libyan waters and influence in Tripoli, Turkey has changed the Libyan war with an influx of drones, military hardware, and mercenaries.

Escalation

In response to the GNA’s newfound military advantage, the LNA has acquired Russian MiG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets to counter the increasing use of drones against the military bases and air defenses of the Eastern faction led by Khalifa Haftar. But the Tripoli-based government is pressing its current military advantage to push further east, reducing Haftar’s sphere of influence in Libya.

Turkish-backed GNA forces are now advancing on Sirte, located roughly halfway between Tripoli and the LNA’s capital in Benghazi. El-Sisi said on June 20 that any further military movements towards Sirte and the Jufra district below it are a “red line.” With combatants nearing Egypt’s borders, they bring the chaos of irregular fighting between militias that has defined the Libyan conflict since its onset.

Egyptian response

Egypt, el-Sisi declared, will consider direct military intervention within Libya’s borders if fighting moves further east. The Benghazi-based LNA government expressed support for Egypt’s intentions as it issued a statement calling on the United Nations in Libya to increase efforts to enforce the weapons embargo that has become an embargo in name only as more and more advanced weaponry enters the Libyan theater of war.

Without a ceasefire in place, the eastern Libyan government could invite an Egyptian response, according to el-Sisi. “Any military intervention by Egypt will be according to the principles of international law,” the Egyptian leader stated. But the Western-based GNA called the Egyptian statement a “declaration of war.”

International reception

On Sunday the United States released a statement in response to el-Sisi’s remarks. “The United States strongly opposes military escalation in Libya – on all sides,” a National Security Council (NSC) statement said, urging “parties to commit to a ceasefire and resume negotiations immediately.”

As the Egyptian military mobilizes for a possible intervention on its western borders, the NSC hopes to steer progress through the ongoing negotiations between both sides. “We must build on progress made through the UN’s 5+5 talks, the Cairo Initiative, and the Berlin process,” the Council stated on the matter.

If an Egyptian incursion into Libya’s eastern districts would occur, it could pit several US allies against each other. France, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE and Turkey all have strong military ties to the US, and an escalation away from proxy war and towards direct military deployment could see US and European weaponry on both sides being used in what amounts to another dark page in Libya’s recent history.

Sudan, Egypt Push for Diplomatic Solution to GERD Dispute

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said his country is fully committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the political impasse of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Saturday, June 20. 

El-Sisi’s latest comments come a day after he called on the UN Security Council to intervene and help restart talks between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, which started on June 9 and stalled again on Wednesday, June 17. 

The $4 billion hydroelectric dam promises to bring untold development opportunities to Ethiopia but is seen as a major threat to human, food, and primarily water security in neighboring and downstream countries Egypt and Sudan. Dam talks failed in February, and there is a renewed focus on the issue since Addis Abba threatened to go ahead with filling the mega-reservoir in July, regardless of whether an agreement can be reached.

“For us, it is not mandatory to reach an agreement before starting filling the dam, hence, we will commence the filling process in the coming rainy season,” Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said in an interview with the Associated Press (AP News) on June 19.  

“We are working hard to reach a deal, but still we will go ahead with our schedule whatever the outcome is. If we have to wait for others’ blessing, then the dam may remain idle for years, which we won’t allow to happen,” Gebu added.

For Egypt, which receives almost all its fresh water from the Nile, Ethiopia filling the dam before it secures a legal agreement ensuring minimum flows and dispute resolution is a matter of state survival.  

In his Saturday speech, el-Sisi said that referring the issue to the UN Security Council demonstrated Egypt’s goodwill and desire to “pursue diplomacy until the very last chance to resolve the crisis.” The location for the address — an airforce base — and his recent promise to send troops into Libya if the Sirte-Jufra “red-line” is crossed sends a stronger message. 

“We have set a rule for each of us: There should be neither harm nor malice, and I hope the Ethiopian people and their leadership will understand this message,” el-Sisi said.

 The Egyptian president reiterated that all states’ interests needed to be taken into account, but Ethiopia also needs to respect Egypt’s need for “life.”

“We need to move strongly towards concluding the negotiations and reach an agreement … and solutions that achieve the interest of all,” he said. 

Meanwhile, in a separate Saturday night statement, Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Mohamed Abdalla said “recent rounds of negotiations on the Renaissance Dam have achieved a tangible progress in technical issues.” 

Abdalla said progress achieved during the latest round of negotiations was encouraging, and as a result, she believes the three countries can arrive at a diplomatic solution without external involvement from the UN, as el-Sisi has suggested. She also thanked South Africa, the United States, and the European Union for their roles as observers during multiple rounds of GERD negotiations. 

The Sudanese minister said that despite Wednesday’s progress, there are still differences “on some fundamental legal issues.” As a result, it “necessitated referring the file to the prime ministers of the three countries with the aim to reaching a political consensus that would lead to the resumption and completion of negotiations as soon as possible.”

Read also: Egypt Seeks EU Support to Break Arab-African Balance in GERD Standoff

50,000 COVID-19 Cases in Egypt Amid Plans to Restart Tourism

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On Friday, June 19, Egypt passed the unfortunate milestone of recording more than 50,000 cases nationwide. The government reported 1,218 new cases on Thursday, June 18, after the country saw its largest daily increase yet when 1,677 cases and 62 deaths hit headlines on June 13. According to data reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) Egypt now has 50,437 cases and 1,938 deaths, with no sign of a flattening curve in infection rates.

Growing Epidemic

As the most populous country in the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt would logically record more cases than its smaller neighbors, but the continuous increase in cases is worrying experts. The Egyptian Medical Syndicate on Tuesday, June 16 reported that 68 Egyptian doctors have died of the coronavirus and 430 have contracted the virus, making up roughly 5-7% of all doctors.

According to Anadolu Agency, unofficial sources have claimed that a further 1,000 healthcare workers have caught the virus, leading to 180 deaths by Tuesday, June 16. At the end of May, the Guardian revealed that one of its reporters in Egypt, Ruth Michaelson, was forced to leave the country after reporting on a study that disputed Egypt’s official tally.

While Egypt initially designated a number of COVID-19 isolation hospitals for every citizen that showed even mild symptoms. The continual increase in new cases appears to have pushed the health ministry to now offer prescriptions that are delivered to patients’ homes as Egypt’s healthcare system struggles to cope with an influx in new cases.

Reopening tourism

On the same day that Egyptian health officials released news of the unfortunate new milestone, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled al-Anany struck an altogether more positive tone. In an interview with Chinese outlet Xinhua, al-Anany stated that Egypt is “gearing up” to welcome foreign tourists.

Anany stated that Egypt “will reopen its airports and resorts in the provinces of Red Sea, South Sinai, and Matrouh to international tourists in an attempt to ease the anticipated recession on the tourism sector due to COVID-19 spread.” The three provinces where tourism will be allowed are all coastal provinces, where Egyptian officials have reported relatively low numbers of coronavirus infections.

“I have received official requests to resume tourist flows from Italy and Ukraine,” Anany told Xinhua, but tempered expectations by saying “we are not expecting a high number of tourists for the time being, not only in Egypt, but the whole world.”

Egypt’s reliance on income from its important tourism sector could force it to risk a premature reopening. Tourism in Egypt brought in $13 billion in 2019, which was an all-time record for the country.

Preventative measures

Several tourism-dependent countries around the world have offered a range of coronavirus-related measures to assuage potential tourists’ worries. The Cypriot Ministry of Tourism announced that any tourist that tests positive for COVID-19 infection on arrival in Cyprus will be provided with free treatment and no hotel expenses on the island. Campsites and hotels around Europe are also reopening as many countries slowly lift lockdowns.

The global pandemic has created an unprecedented situation for tourism around the Mediterranean as millions of Europeans will have had their original travel plans canceled and could soon be shopping for bargains. Meanwhile, traditional tourist destinations compete to offer visitors a safe way to enjoy the hot summer months.

For Egypt, this means improving hygiene standards and introducing a variety of preventative measures. “We are not in a hurry because we give priority to the safety of tourists as well as preserving our image as a tourist destination,” Tourism Minister Anany told Xinhua: Safety has become the new focus in international tourism.

“Hotels have ramped up hygiene, archaeological sites have been sanitized and beaches cleaned up,” Anany stated as Egypt’s seeks to reassure visitors. Whether Egypt’s ambitions toward restarting its vital tourism sector amid a growing epidemic will be successful remains to be seen.

For the many Egyptians who work in the industry, it is clear they would rather listen to their tourism minister’s optimism than despair over the increased numbers of infections reported by health officials.

Nile Dam Dispute: As Diplomacy Fails, is War ‘Only Option Left?’

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As negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the latter’s controversial Nile River Dam reached a deadlock, bellicose rhetoric again took center stage and water diplomacy might escalate into direct confrontation.

While this is merely an impending logistical scenario for some, for others the current crisis is an indication that Egypt is losing much of its former diplomatic leverage. They see Egypt helplessly witnessing Ethiopia threatening its water security without being able to successfully intervene.

Beating the Drums of War

Headlines of online media outlets and television channels abound with war lexicon to describe the current stalemate surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). These headlines give the impression that countries of the Nile Basin, Egypt and Ethiopia in particular, are heading towards an inevitable armed confrontation, a matter of when and not if conflict is going to happen.

“Will the War Take Place?” reads a title published by French magazine Courrier International. “Ethiopia Says a Border War with Sudan is Unlikely,” reads a headline on the Arabic-language news website Sudan Tribune.

“Filling the Renaissance Dam is a Declaration of War on Egypt” says another headline, published on Al Hurra.

While some observers downplayed the likelihood of an armed confrontation because going to war is not in the interest of any party involved, others feel such an ominous prediction should not be excluded.

“These are the germs of instability, and it will cause a water war… If not under this government then under another,” said Ahmed Al Mufti, a former Sudanese party to negotiations with Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve contentions over water issues.

Al Mufti told the Guardian that every day he sees “more evidence” that backs his bleak assessment, warning of the danger the dam poses to his fellow countrymen who will see their share of Nile River water decrease over the coming years.

‘All Options on the Table’

While Al Mufti seemed to state an inevitable outcome based on observations on the ground, Egyptian observers were more explicit. Many warned Addis Ababa of retaliation in the event it pursues its plans to start filling the dam during the rainy season in July.

Going ahead with these plans would constitute, according to Aymen Shabana of Cairo University, a “declaration of war on Egypt.”

“In this case, all options are going to be on the table, from peaceful alternatives to more coercive ones,” the Director of the Institute of African Research and Studies told Al Hurra.

Using even stronger war rhetoric, Naguib Sawiris, one of Egypt’s most prominent businessmen, tweeted: “If Ethiopia doesn’t come to reason, we the Egyptian people will be the first to call for war.”

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Ethiopia’s decision to move ahead with building the dam, while Egypt was preoccupied with the 2011 uprising and 2013 ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi, gradually helped it dictate a fait-accompli on Cairo and Khartoum as negotiations failed to gain a breakthrough.

The situation at times seems reminiscent of the iconic scene of Sergio Leone’s masterpiece film “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” where each of the three main characters, with his hand ready to grab his gun, considers which of the other two he should shoot first.

In the beginning of negotiations regarding the dam, Sudan seemed to side with Egypt. Both entered talks with Ethiopia over the effects the dam will have on their respective shares of the Nile water. Khartoum later on appeared to reverse course on the basis that the dam will benefit Sudan, providing much-needed electricity at a cheaper price, as well protection against floods.

Sudan’s refusal in March to endorse an Arab League resolution supporting Egypt in the dispute with Ethiopia sounded alarms for Cairo.

Tension erupted between Khartoum and Addis Ababa after May 29 clashes between Sudanese soldiers and an independent Ethiopian militia in the Sudanese province of al-Qadrif. A Sudanese officer was killed and six other soldiers were injured during the attack.

The Sudanese army described the attack as “hostile and criminal acts,” accusing the Ethiopian military of providing support for the militia. The Sudanese army  also stated that participating in negotiations to achieve an agreement is necessary before deeming war is the only option left.

Power Shift

As many in academia and resource diplomacy believe future conflicts between states will increasingly center on natural resources such as water, the countries which control such resources will yield immense power.

For some, the current Nile water crisis is already signaling a power shift in the region, with Egypt no longer the influential country it used to be.

For decades Egypt claimed a right of 55.5 billion cubic meters of the Nile water based on a treaty signed with Britain in 1929 and a bilateral agreement with Sudan in 1959. In addition to these treaties, Egypt’s military and diplomatic superiority deterred Ethiopia from building the long-planned dam. This occurred despite grievances from Addis Ababa that the Blue Nile originates from Ethiopian Lake Tana, and that such a project is vital to generate economic benefits and ensure access to electricity for most Ethiopians.

Now Ethiopian officials are running the show, while Egypt’s leverage seems to be something of the past. The dam is a huge undertaking through which Ethiopia seeks to project its ambition to become a regional and continental power. The $4.5 billion project is expected to contain 70 billion cubic meters of water.

Despite early war threats from former President Mohamed Morsi and Egyptian politicians and society, Ethiopia pursued the construction of the dam. Addis Ababa responded to war threats coming from Egypt with an equally strong language when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in 2019 his fellow countrymen will take up arms if necessary to protect the dam.

“Some say things about use of force (by Egypt). It should be underlined that no force could stop Ethiopia from building a dam…If there is a need to go to war, we could get millions readied,” he warned.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

In addition to Ethiopia’s growing sense of power, some foreign observers claim that Cairo showed weaknesses throughout the crisis. Many Egyptians also seem to share this belief.

“We’ve lost. We were unable to stop them from building the dam; we couldn’t get them to change any part of their plans, especially to reduce its capacity,” said an Egyptian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity as quoted by Orient XXI.

As time goes by the Egyptian position grows even weaker. Today, Cairo seems caught between a rock and a hard place.

While war is a devastating option and might not be the solution, Egypt may find itself at Ethiopia’s mercy when it comes to something as vital as water security.

Cairo also runs the risk of alienating millions of Egyptians who accuse their government of failing to protect their livelihoods as they see their share of water decrease day after day.

 

Read also: Egypt Set to Reopen Airports, Welcome Tourists Starting July 1

France Deems Turkish Ambitions in Libya ‘Unacceptable’

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On June 10, a Greek navy ship approached a Turkish cargo vessel in the high seas off the coast of Libya. The European ship, tasked with upholding the Libyan arms embargo, approached the vessel and sent a message requesting to board and inspect the suspicious cargo ship. This is a standard procedure that regulatory ships have repeated 75 times in recent months, but this time it yielded unprecedented results.

The cargo freighter did not respond; instead a Turkish warship appeared that told the Greeks to back off. With no mandate to forcibly board the freight ship, the Greek naval ship was forced to retreat without any inspection. French President Emmanuel Macron called the act “unacceptable” as the event adds fuel to an escalating diplomatic row between France and Turkey.

UN mandate

An EU spokesman on June 11 was reluctant to give details about the events, instead referring to the head of “Operation Irini” in Rome, which hosts the task force monitoring the Libyan arms embargo.

The renewed focus on the repeated breaches of the UN embargo on the supply of arms to Libya had earlier resulted in UN Resolution 2526, which mandates a naval force with daily inspections of vessels approaching and departing the Libyan coast.

The task force aims to stop the flow of arms in exchange for Libyan oil by inspecting naval trade, with the results of these inspections going to a UN panel of experts tasked with evaluating the situation. While the arms embargo faces no opposition in diplomatic circles, in practice most foreign actors involved in the chaotic conflict breach it daily.

French response

With a fresh round of peace negotiations approaching, military operations on the ground are accelerating as both sides hope to make “gains” which they can then use in negotiations. Macron had earlier highlighted Turkish “broken promises” as the new GNA gains appear to be the result of a large-scale Turkish intervention that has introduced new aerial capabilities for the Tripoli government through the use of drones.

News confirmed the horror of the Libyan conflict yet again on June 12, when UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock over the discovery of mass graves in the country. But the Turkish intervention last week that prevented UN inspection of one of its vessels presents a new escalation according to the French.

“The Turks are behaving in an unacceptable manner and are exploiting NATO. France cannot just stand by,” a French official stated, while another added that France had concerns over the “even more aggressive and insistent stance from Turkey, with seven Turkish ships deployed off the Libyan coast and violations of the arms embargo.”

Further chaos

France nominally supports both sides in the conflict. As part of the UN, it recognizes the Tripoli GNA government, but France also supports Libya’s eastern LNA faction led by leader Khalifa Haftar. Macron hosted Haftar at the Elise Palace in March and has attempted to mediate a cease-fire, but with Haftar’s forces in retreat after several GNA victories, the conflict has changed.

As the GNA advances, it has brushed aside calls for a cease-fire, as the LNA did when they were at their strongest. The inconclusive back-and-forth between the two factions has led to a radical escalation of foreign troops, mercenaries, and weaponry, all in a clear breach of the embargo.

The chaotic conflict has turned Libya into a lawless state where already desperate refugees hoping to reach Europe face exploitation and die by the dozens in Libyan slave markets and refugee camps or drown in the Mediterranean Sea.

What was initially a civil war fought by Libyan militias using civilian cars and light arms has devolved into a proxy war featuring Naval frigates, fighter jets, anti-air batteries, and drones. What was once an internal conflict over the future of the country has become a sandbox for a proxy-war between foreign nations, where the Libyans themselves have little to do with an eventual resolution.

Egypt Set to Reopen Airports, Welcome Tourists Starting July 1

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On Sunday the Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar announced the country would reopen all of its airports to regular international services from July 1 after closing them in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move is a win for Egypt’s flailing tourism sector and a group of Belarusian visitors, who are set to be the first to benefit from Egypt’s Red Sea coast this summer when they arrive in Hurghada on July 4. 

During a press conference on June 14, the civil aviation minister, along with Tourism Minister Khaled El Anani and Information Minister Osama Haikal, said flights will gradually resume from the beginning of July, to the delight of struggling tourism operators. Tourism is a major employer in Egypt and accounts for between 5% and 12% of GDP, but has faced a difficult decade rocked by the 2011 revolution, terrorism, and now COVID-19.  

To facilitate the resumption of flights, Egypt has put in place a “comprehensive plan” that takes “into account the safety of citizens and tourists alike,” Haikal said. International tourists will initially only be allowed to visit Egypt’s three “touristic provinces” along the Red Sea — South Sinai, the Red Sea, and Marsa Matrouh governorates — but the restrictions will gradually be eased, the trio said. 

“Passengers will be required to finalize several measures before boarding their plane to Egypt, including signing an acknowledgment document specifying the Egyptian city they plan to visit before receiving their boarding cards,” Manar explained. 

“Passengers coming from countries announced to be affected by the pandemic shall submit a fresh PCR [COVID-19] test no later than 48 hours before their flights,” he added.

Travelers, the airplanes they arrive on, airports, and hotels will all be subject to strict sterilization and disinfection regimes, while passengers and crew will be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing during boarding and while exiting the plane, the civil aviation minister noted.  

The Egyptian government is also offering a number of incentives to entice travelers back. The government is subsidizing aviation fuel, temporarily removing tourist visas and their $25 fee, reducing airport fees and taxes by 50%, and cutting the admission price for Supreme Council of Antiquities sites by 20%.  

The Tourism Minister said he will brief his Arab counterparts on Egypt’s re-opening plans, and hopes to encourage tourists from the Arab world back quickly. Anani has also been in talks with his Belarusian counterpart, and those of fellow Eastern European nations Serbia and Ukraine. 

As a result of a recent virtual meeting between the tourism ministers, a flight carrying eager Belarusian tourists is set to become the first group of foreign visitors to return to post-COVID-19 Egypt when they land at Hurghada Airport along the Red Sea on July 4. Egypt is a top tourism destination for Belarusian travelers, 90% of which visit the coastal resorts located in the picturesque Red Sea and South Sinai governorates, according to the Red Sea Tourism Investors Association.

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