Abdel Fattah al-Sisi - The African Mirror

Apr

2023

Egyptian troops held in Sudan were not there to support any party -Sisi

EGYPT President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egyptian troops held in Sudan were merely there to conduct exercises with their Sudanese counterparts and not to support any of the warring parties. After clashes erupted across Sudan between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army on Saturday, the RSF shared a video they said showed Egyptian troops who had "surrendered" to them in the northern town of Merowe, about halfway between the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the border with Egypt. The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking to members of the RSF,…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

Egypt’s Sisi visits Saudi Arabia amid financial pressure, regional realignment

WORLD

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA said, as Cairo seeks financial inflows to ease pressure on its currency and bolster a faltering economy. Oil-rich Saudi Arabia has long provided financial support to Egypt but recently signalled it would no longer provide such backing without conditions attached, which observers think may have sparked a rare media clash between the two countries. The trip also comes amid a major diplomatic realignment in the region, with moves by Saudi Arabia and Egypt to ease tensions with Syria, Iran and Turkey. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, met…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

Egypt’s Sisi heads to India amid investment push

BUSINESS

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins a visit to India where he will meet business leaders and be a guest of honour at India's January 26 Republic Day. The trip will include discussions on strengthening economic relations between the two countries and reviewing opportunities for Indian investment in Egypt, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. Egypt is trying to drum up foreign investment as it tries to manage a dollar shortage that has led to a sharp depreciation of the Egyptian pound. Last year it sought help from energy-rich Gulf allies and the International Monetary Fund after the economic…

Dec

2022

By The African Mirror

Fiance of U.S. citizen detained in UAE fears he will be extradited to Egypt

WORLD

AN Egyptian-American national detained while visiting the United Arab Emirates fears he will be extradited to Egypt for criticising authorities there ahead of the country hosting the COP27 climate conference last month, his fiance said. The UAE, a close ally of Egypt, arrested Sherif Osman, who resides in the United States, on November 6 at the request of an Arab League entity responsible for coordinating law enforcement and security matters, a UAE official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The official said Emirati authorities were working to secure "requisite legal documentation required in preparing the extradition file", without specifying to which…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Sisi and Biden discuss food security, energy in first meeting

NEWS

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi discussed food security and disruptions to energy supplies with U.S. President Joe Biden as they met for the first time on Saturday on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Jeddah, the Egyptian presidency said. The two leaders also addressed ways to revive a Palestinian peace process, and Egypt's efforts to secure a legally binding agreement over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. Egypt has come under sharp financial pressure due to global price increases for commodities including wheat and oil that accelerated after Russia's…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt‌ ‌signs‌ ‌flurry‌ ‌of‌ ‌deals‌ ‌with‌ Libya’s‌ ‌unity‌ ‌government‌

NEWS

EGYPT and Libya's unity government signed a series of cooperation agreements and several infrastructure contracts on Thursday as Cairo eyes reconstruction opportunities in its oil-rich neighbour. Though Libya's political prospects remain uncertain, the deals are the latest sign of Egypt's efforts to re-engage with Tripoli after years of siding with east Libya-based forces engaged in a conflict that split the country. Libya was a major market for Egyptian firms and workers before uprisings in both countries in 2011. The 14 memorandums of understanding, signed during a visit to Cairo by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, cover sectors ranging from…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

U.S. to withhold Egypt’s $130-million over rights

NEWS

HUMEYRA PAMUK THE Biden administration will withhold $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt in order to pressure the Arab ally to improve its human rights record, two sources familiar with the matter, including a U.S. official, said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's planned move is a break with his predecessors' policy of overriding a congressional check on military aid to Egypt. In the past, an exception was granted to free up $300 million in Foreign Military Financing for Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's government on that argument that it was in the interest of U.S. national security. But a portion…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt’s Sisi offers to Lebanon’s Hariri

NEWS

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed full support for visiting Lebanese Prime Minister-Designate Saad al-Hariri in his efforts to form a cabinet and resolve a crippling economic and political crisis. Lebanon is battling an economic meltdown dubbed by the World Bank as one of the deepest depressions in modern history. The financial crisis, which has propelled more than half of the population into poverty and seen the value of the currency drop by more than 90% in nearly two years, has been deepened by political deadlock. Egypt holds diplomatic weight in the region and has provided some aid to…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt’s Sisi opens naval base

NEWS

AIDAN LEWIS EGYPTIAN President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has inaugurated a large naval base 135 km from the border with Libya, flanked by close ally Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Libya's unity president. Egypt says the July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it boosts its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. At the inauguration, two Mistral helicopter carriers acquired from France were on display alongside a German-made submarine and two recently delivered FREMM-class Italian frigates. Naval forces performed exercises…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Blinken meets Egypt’s Sisi as U.S. seeks to secure Gaza ceasefire

WORLD

AIDAN LEWIS and NIDAL AL-MUGHRABI U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met top officials in Cairo yesterday, during a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up a ceasefire that ended the worst fighting in years between Israel and Palestinian militants. Egypt has long standing relations with both sides in the conflict and played a key role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire after 11 days of violence, in coordination with the United States. In a brief visit, Blinken met President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and intelligence head Abbas Kamel at the presidential palace. The United States and Egypt…