Author: Hend Kortam

Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini ambassadors to return to Qatar

Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
(AFP File Photo)

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain agreed to restore full diplomatic ties with Qatar in a meeting held in Riyadh on Sunday, marking the start of a “new page” in the relations between Gulf countries, according to a joint statement released by the three governments.

The statement said the agreement aims to serve the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and to promote the “interests” of its members.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain decided to reinstate their ambassadors to Qatar as part of the agreement.

The meeting in Riyadh included Bahraini King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifah, Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Mohamed Ezz Al-Arab, an analyst at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said there is little information about what happened behind closed doors in the meeting, describing the latest round of talks as exceptional.

On 5 March, the three countries recalled their ambassadors to Qatar in a signal of a worsening divide in the Gulf. They announced the decision in a joint statement, saying they had to take the steps “that they see appropriate to protect their security and stability”.

Ezz Al-Arab said that he believes that there may be several factors that led the three gulf countries to reinstate their ambassadors, including the threat caused by the increasing brutality of extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), which is starting to threaten “some Gulf parties or the entire Gulf entity”.

Ezz Al-Arab believes that the latest meeting could be an effort to “put Gulf differences aside in order to cooperate on facing a common threat”.

The joint statement described the agreement as joint action that will lead to a strong and “coherent” Gulf entity in the midst of the critical circumstances and which require the multiplication of efforts to protect security and stability.

Ezz Al-Arab believes that another factor could be a possible shift in Qatari policy to no longer offer shelter or financial support to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain on one hand, and Qatar on the other, have been at opposite ends of the political spectrum in regards to the ousting of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The UAE and Saudi Arabia pledged billions of dollars in financial aid to Egypt over the past year and a half to support its ailing economy.

Just days after the toppling of Morsi, the UAE announced the provision of a $3bn aid package to Egypt, comprised of a $1bn grant and a $2bn interest-free deposit at the Central Bank of Egypt. Saudi Arabia later pledged $5bn to Egypt in the form of grants, deposits, and petroleum products.

Qatar meanwhile had a rocky relationship with the interim authorities that replaced Morsi. The gas-rich monarchy was a strong backer of the Morsi’s administration and condemned last year’s military takeover.

However, Qatar decided in September to expel seven Muslim Brotherhood members who had earlier fled Egypt to Qatar.

These members are among many Brotherhood leaders who fled Egypt during the past year and a half, in an attempt to evade the crackdown on the Brotherhood which followed Morsi’s ouster.

November 17, 2014
Fishermen held in attack on navy released

A group of 16 fishermen arrested off the coast of Damietta were released on Sunday after being investigated for an exchange of fire involving fishing boats and an Egyptian navy boat last week.
(AFP Photo)

A group of 16 fishermen arrested off the coast of Damietta were released on Sunday after being investigated for an exchange of fire involving fishing boats and an Egyptian navy boat last week.

The fishermen have returned to Damietta and are part of 32 who were arrested and investigated following the incident, which took place 40 nautical miles north of the port of Damietta.

Sami Ragab, a fisherman and member of a cooperative society for fishermen in Damietta told Daily News Egypt that all 32 arrested after the attack were fishermen from Ezbet Al-Borg city in Damietta who were out at the sea on four fishing boats.

On Wednesday, “hostile vessels” opened fire on an Egypt navy boat while it was on patrol, the military spokesman’s office said.

Ragab says two of the fishing boats have been returned to Damietta, one of which was partially burned during the incident. Another was used to carry the 32 fishermen to the nearby coastal city of Port Said and remains there. The fourth boat sank during the incident.

The military spokesman’s office said investigations are still underway and that the findings are still not available.

However, there has been speculation that the incident was a smuggling operation by the fishermen. Fady Abu Samra, a resident of Damietta, said fishermen in the area have been smuggling subsidised diesel fuel for years.

Foreign vessels and fishing boats typically meet Egyptian smugglers in international waters, where they purchase the fuel from them at a price than is lower than the international market rate but higher than the local subsidised rate.

Ragab however denied speculations of smuggling in this particular incident and believes that if the fishermen had been involved in smuggling, they would not have been released after investigations.

The Egyptian armed forces said on Thursday that it destroyed four “hostile” boats containing “terrorist elements” and arrested 32 people off the coast of Damietta governorate. An exchange of gunfire took place between the “terrorist elements” and the navy, who called for back-up forces.

A navy boat was set on fire, and five navy personnel were injured and taken to a military hospital. The military said eight navy personnel are missing and military forces are currently searching for them.

November 16, 2014
Police detonate car bomb in Al-Arish, North Sinai

Police forces detonated a car bomb in North Sinai on Tuesday after evacuating the area, while the armed forces continued nationwide counterinsurgency operations.

Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said the car bomb contained half a ton of explosive materials. A statement by the ministry said a security patrol found a “suspicious car” left at the side of the road in Al-Arish. It was inspected by police forces and bomb experts, and was found to contain explosive materials.

Police detonated the bomb from a distance. Abdel Latif said four people at a distance from the explosion site were injured as a result of glass shrapnel caused by the explosion, but added that they were all minor injuries.

The security presence in Al-Arish has been heightened in order to track down the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the armed forces have arrested 18 “terrorist” and “criminal” operatives in their latest operation on Tuesday in North Sinai, Ismailia, Port Said and Daqahleya governorates.

The armed forces said in a statement that the arrested include one “extremely dangerous terrorist element” and one of the perpetrators of the July attack on Al-Farafra checkpoint. The latter attack took place in the desert along the Libyan border, leaving 22 Egyptian border guards dead.

The armed forces had previously announced that primary findings of the investigation indicated the attack was conducted by 20 armed men in vehicles equipped with explosives.

The armed forces additionally destroyed 19 sites used by “terrorist operatives”, including three headquarters and 16 dens in its latest operation.

Two mortar rounds were fired at a security checkpoint in Rafah on Tuesday, according to state-media, with no injuries or deaths reported.

Insurgent activity increased in Sinai after the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July, 2013, with the towns of Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid at the epicenter of attacks. Militants have primarily targeted security forces and security sites.

Ongoing counterinsurgency efforts have been intensified after at least 30 soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai last month.

Sinai-based Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, the militant group which has claimed responsibility for many attacks inside Egypt, pledged allegiance to the extremist ‘Islamic State’ group in an audio recording released on Monday.

November 12, 2014
1 dead after explosion on Cairo’s Ring Road

A blast in the early hours of Wednesday killed one of two people riding a motorcycle on Cairo’s Ring Road, leaving the other injured.

The Ministry of Interior said in a statement that a security patrol heard the sound of an explosion at dawn. When they reached the site, they found that a 23- year-old who was on the motorbike had died. The other passenger, 27, tried to flee the scene but was apprehended.

The ministry said that it is looking into the circumstances surrounding the explosion. State-run news agency MENA reported that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), which the two passengers were reportedly carrying.

Two other explosions occurred on Wednesday morning, disrupting railway traffic for more than two hours but leaving no casualties behind. The first was an IED which targeted a railway track connecting the cities of Zagazig, Mansoura, and Cairo. As technicians were repairing the rails, another explosion took place. Repair work was halted until explosives experts secured the site, and all damage to the rail was eventually repaired.

The meeting comes in the framework of the minister’s follow up on police performance and security policies.

The interior minister said the ministry will meet disruptions of public facilities and roads with “utmost firmness and decisiveness”.

Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim discussed the security situation in the country with members of the Supreme Council of the Police Authority in a meeting Monday. He addressed the challenges faced by police personnel in their “fierce war with terrorist operatives and extremist organisations”.

Ibrahim ordered taking security measures to protect vital installations across the country and to raise security of police sites and deter any aggressions they may be subjected to.

Security forces, whether police or military, and security checkpoints and sites have been the main targets of militancy since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July, 2013. Ibrahim himself was the target of an assassination attempt last year.

November 12, 2014
International journalists show solidarity with Egyptian colleagues

Five international journalists, several currently affiliated with British newspaper The Guardian expressed their support for their Egyptian colleagues “in their struggle for a free and independent press”.

In a statement published in The Guardian on Sunday, the newspaper’s Egypt correspondent Patrick Kingsley, its former correspondent in Egypt Jack Shenker, and Roy Greenslade, a Guardian columnist, described the intimidation journalists in Egypt face.

The international journalists also include Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow and Aidan White, Director of the Ethical Journalism Network.

“Intimidation of the media has been a central tactic of every Egyptian regime in recent years, and the fight by journalists to resist such intimidation has been a vital component of the country’s broader battle against state tyranny,” the statement read.

The editors-in-chief of several major state-owned and private newspapers agreed to support the Egyptian government rhetoric in a joint statement released on 26 October. “We pledge to stop publishing any statements that may incite violence, support terrorism, or exaggerate the size of the Muslim Brotherhood protests inside and outside universities,” read the statement.

In the agreement, editors also said they would support all security measures taken by the Egyptian state to confront terrorism and protect homeland security.

This pledge was described by the international journalists as being “near-blind”. It was also rejected by over 600 Egyptian journalists, who co-signed an online statement, condemning “the repudiation of freedom of opinion and expression” inherent in the pledge.

The international journalists’ statement called the pledge “a remarkable display of both professional integrity and personal bravery”.

“Hundreds of Egypt’s journalists have courageously declared their rejection of ‘rule by one opinion’. We stand with them,” the five international journalists said. “Egypt today is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be working in as a journalist”.

They added that they are encouraging other journalists around the world to add their names to the statement.

In February, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranked Egypt as 159th out of 180 listed countries in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index.

Media rights watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) named Egypt the third deadliest country in the world for journalists in 2013.

At least 10 journalists have been killed in Egypt since 2011, according to CPJ. This includes six who died in the second half of 2013. The latest journalist fatality was Mayada Ashraf, a 22 year-old journalist for independent Al-Dostour newspaper, who was shot dead in Cairo’s Ain Shams neighbourhood on 28 March.

November 10, 2014
President appoints new deans to 7 university faculties

president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
(AFP PHOTO/STR)

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Sunday appointed new deans to seven faculties in Cairo, Ain Shams, and Tanta universities for three-year terms.

The Ministry of Higher Education listed the names of the new deans in a short statement and said that the presidential decision is based on a proposal by Higher Education Minister Ahmed Abdel Khaleq.

Hany El-Hosseiny, professor at the Faculty of Science at Cairo University and member of the 9 March movement, did not comment on the recent set of appointments and said this presidential appointment was preceded by several other ones. He added that the dean of his faculty is one of those appointed by the president in one of those previous decisions.

The 9 March Movement is made up of university faculty members pushing for universities’ independence.

El-Hosseiny said the movement takes issue with the “idea of appointing deans by the president since it cancels the system where deans and university heads are chosen by faculty staff”.

“When the choice is made from outside the university, it is a violation of the independence of universities,” he added.

In June, Al-Sisi amended the law governing university affairs, assuming personal responsibility in appointing the heads of universities based on a proposal from the minister of higher education which includes three suggested names. These three names are nominated by a designated council.

Deans of faculties are appointed by the president in a similar manner, according to the amendments.

Al-Sisi can also dismiss faculty deans or university heads, at the request of the relevant university councils or the Supreme Council of Universities.

El-Hosseiny said there are around 450 faculties in universities nationwide and it cannot be taken seriously that the president appoints all of them since he is unlikely to have the detailed knowledge of the affairs of every faculty in order to appoint the most suitable candidate.

Clashes have repeatedly broken out between students and security forces and one student died after he was struck in the head during clashes in Alexandria University since the academic year began on 11 October. Additionally, more than 200 students have been arrested nationwide.

Over the past academic year, at least 16 students were killed inside their campuses and hundreds were arrested, according to the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression.

November 9, 2014
Egypt renews support for Libya’s ‘legitimate institutions’

Egypt once again expressed its “full support for Libya’s state institutions” and asserted its full respect for the will of the Libyan people on Saturday.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it also “fully supports the Libyan government in its efforts to carry out its responsibility of preserving the unity of Libyan lands and its territorial integrity”.

On Thursday, Libya’s Supreme Court, which is based in Tripoli, ordered on live television the disbanding of the House of Representatives. Libya’s capital Tripoli is largely under the control of the Islamist militia coalition Libya Dawn.

The internationally recognised legislature, based in Tobruk, was elected in June and left Islamists with only 15% of seats. In response to the court ruling, the legislature said the court is “not independent” and that “its word has no value”. Tobruk also hosts the cabinet of Prime Minister Abdualla Al-Thani.

The European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini said on Friday that “Libya needs more than ever a strong, steady and common political initiative.” She added that the EU continues to believe that dialogue “remains crucial” and “that the solution of the crisis requires a political settlement”.

Mogherini added that “all military operations must cease and all parties should refrain from taking any steps which further divide the country”.

The Egyptian foreign ministry also stressed the need for all sides to simultaneously give up the “military option” and make room for dialogue that includes all parties that renounce violence, as a means to achieve political goals.

Egypt addressed the “need to evacuate armed militias from state institutions and public facilities so that Libyan authorities can fully carry out their duties”.

Libya has faced a tense security situation since 2011 when former president Muammar Gaddafi was toppled.

However, things took a turn for the worse this year and fighting escalated when retired general Khalifa Haftar launched a campaign in May to root out “terrorism” in the coastal city of Benghazi. Haftar is fiercely anti-Islamist and his forces back the Tobruk-based government. Fierce daily fighting currently occurs in Benghazi and in Tripoli.

November 9, 2014
Israeli troops injured by gunfire from Sinai

Israeli troops injured by gunfire from Sinai
(AFP Photo)

Two Israeli troops patrolling the Egyptian border were injured by gunfire from suspected smugglers in the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, the Israeli Defense Forces Foreign Press Office said.

An Egyptian security source told the Daily News Egypt that the incident occurred south of Al-Awja border crossing. He said there was an exchange of fire between smugglers and Egyptian security forces and that some bullets fired by the smugglers crossed into the Israeli side of the border, leaving two soldiers injured.

The two injured soldiers, one male and one female, were taken to a hospital on the Israeli side of the border for treatment. The Israel Defense Forces said on Twitter, “the injured soldiers serve in the Caracal Battalion, which is responsible for defending the Israel-Egypt border”.

Ministry of Interior Spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said the incident took place at 12.30pm.

Egyptian security forces did not say what type of smugglers they were. The Egypt-Israel border area however has been a known route for human trafficking.

Ever since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, there has been a rise in militancy, particularly in North Sinai. Egyptian security forces have largely been the target of this insurgency, with repeated attacks being carried out targeting checkpoints and security facilities.

In 2013, the Egyptian military has launched what it dubbed as the “biggest military operation to cleanse Sinai of terrorism”. The military continues to carry out security operations in the turbulent region.

October 22, 2014
ANHRI condemns cut-off on live talk show

Presenter Wael Al-Ibrashi
(AFP Photo)

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemned Monday the cut-off of a live television show for airing a report on the death of a school student earlier this week.

The Al-A’shera Masaan (Arabic for 10pm) show which airs on private television channel Dream 2 and is presented by host Wael Al-Ibrashi, was cut-off during the live airing of its episode on 19 October.

The show was set to discuss the case of an elementary school student in Matruh governorate who was killed when the school gate fell on him.

ANHRI called on authorities to carry out a quick investigation into the cut-off of the show and called on them to “stop the approach of censorship and confiscation which seriously threatens the freedom of the press and the media in Egypt.”

Al-Ibrashi could not be reached for comment but was cited by private newspaper Youm7 as saying that he was informed before the show that the Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Education Mahmoud Abou El Nasr threatened to resign because of the files relating to the ministries that he was planning to expose during the show.

He added that he asserted to channel and government officials that he will not stop discussing cases of student deaths or cases related to corruption, as long as he backed by professional rules and documents.

Both ministries have denied any involvement in the decision to cut-off the show in separate statements on Monday.

Spokesman of the Education Ministry Hany Kamal said the ministry was not the reason behind the cutting off “of any television show, whether directly or indirectly.” He added that the ministry cannot do so and that the ministry “welcomes any constructive criticism”.

The Ministry of Housing said the ministry has no “direct or indirect” association with the cutting off of the show and “cannot even intervene in cutting of the live broadcast of any satellite channel”.

“We welcome any criticism highlighting drawbacks in the scope of the ministry’s work since this helps solve problems quickly… We have stressed repeatedly that we will not cover up corruption or a corrupt official in the ministry,” the housing ministry’s statement read.

This incident comes days after the editor-in-chief of Al-Masry Al-Youm and a journalist working with the private newspaper were interrogated for 14 hours before being released on 16 October on bail.

Investigations with the pair follow the newspaper’s announcement of its intention to release documents on violations during the 2012 presidential elections.

Following the paper’s announcement, prosecution imposed a media gag on 14 October, stipulating that the publication of any information or documents related to investigations on the case of “forgery” of the 2012 elections has been banned.

The journalist and editor are charged by prosecutors with “endangering social peace and spreading false news”.

The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression condemned on Monday the interrogation and the levelling charges against the journalists. “The interrogations took place in spite of the newspaper commitment to follow the prosecution orders and not to publish any banned material,” AFTE said.

ANHRI said the cutting off of Al-Ibrashi’s show and interrogations with Al-Masry Al-Youm’s staff “and previous violations are further painful blows to press freedom in Egypt”. The NGO also described these incidents as an “attempt” to create media that has “one voice and one opinion”.

October 21, 2014
Police forces return to Al-Azhar University

Students protest at Al-Azhar University on Tuesday.
(Photo from SAC)

Demonstrations at Al-Azhar University and Ain Shams University took place Tuesday morning inside the university campuses were ended when security forces stormed in and broke them up.

The demonstrations were sympathising with the death of Alexandria University student Omar Al-Sharif who died from birdshots fired by the police during the clashes between students and riot police on 14 October.

Al-Azhar University student Mahmoud Al-Azhary said that security forces stormed into the campus. He added that security forces ended the demonstrations and some students were detained, however “we still don’t have the exact number”.

Ain Shams University student Gehad Sultan said that the demonstration mainly called for “breaking the security siege” on universities and the daily storming into university campuses.

Sultan noted that police forces stormed into the campus. He added as well that so far four students were detained as they were standing in front of the university gate.

After his injury Al-Sharif was moved to Al-Miri hospital and his body transported to the morgue on Tuesday morning said Head of the Ambulance Authority’s office Ahmed Al-Ansary.

Lawyer Mohamed Ramadan, who was handling Al-Sharif’s case, said he received the news from the deceased’s mother.

Ramadan said Al-Sharif was killed by birdshot fired by the police, with damage caused to the student including a brain haemorrhage. He added, however, “that 16 students were arrested and accused of attempting to murder him”.

Ramadan filed a complaint, which included a picture showing that Al-Sharif was shot by a policeman.

Five students were expelled from Alexandria University after they had been investigated for taking part in protests that have occurred since the start of the academic year on 11 October. The decision was taken by President of Alexandria University Osama Ibrahim decided on Monday, according to state-owned Al-Ahram.

Ibrahim also added in a press conference on Monday that 11 other students were being investigated for protesting inside campus without permission.

Police forces broke into an Al-Azhar Girls University on Sunday as students protested against the mass arrest of fellow students and the heavy presence of riot police in and around the campus.

The protests have continued intermittently over the past week, resulting in students and security, both state and private, clashing in and around university campuses across the country.

The academic year was due to begin in September, but was postponed in a government decision. University campuses across the nation have witnessed violent clashes since the start of this academic year.

According to Democracy Index, in the first week of the year 18 universities witnessed 58 protests, with an average of 10 protests per day. Clashes resulted in the arrests of at least 163 students.

In the past academic year, at least 16 students were killed inside their campuses and hundreds were arrested, according to Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE).

AFTE added that during the first week police forces stormed into six universities, with Al-Azhar University stormed twice.

This year, private security company Falcon was hired by the government to secure eight universities, but students violently clashed with them last week, forcing them to flee several campuses.

October 21, 2014