Egypt

Protests, the largest since the 2013 military coup, have taken place in Cairo and across Egypt demanding the fall of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in late September due to discontent over soaring prices, corruption, and subsidy cuts. The protests began when Mohamed Ali, a forty-five-year-old actor living in Spain and a former construction contractor with close ties to the Egyptian army, posted videos online – calling on Egyptians to protest on the corrupt practices among army generals, Sisi’s family, and his inner circle. Those who took to the streets in Cairo and the provinces were largely teenagers and youth. The protesters were met with tear gas, police violence, and mass arrests. More than three thousand people were arrested, activists’ homes were raided, lawyers and dissidents were kidnapped and tortured, and both privately run and state-owned media issued a hysterical wave of defamation against protesters. As talks on some “political reforms” took place, targeting and torturing of the opposition continued with no real reforms happening. Without more substantive reforms it is questionable whether Sisi may be able to maintain stability. More rounds of protests had been called yet are being shut down as Egyptian security forces continually crush attempts and sabotage activist networks and entities trying to mobilize in the streets and workplaces.

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