Funeral with great fanfare. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi paid tribute to Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday during the funeral of the ex-president, who reigned for 30 years before leaving power in 2011 under pressure from the Arab Spring.
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi led a procession near the al-Mouchir Tantaoui mosque, in the east of Cairo, to the sound of cannon shots in homage to Mubarak, who died the day before 91 years old, in a military hospital in Cairo.
Three days of mourning
The coffin, arrived by helicopter shortly before, was placed on a gun carriage and escorted by soldiers in large uniforms. Behind President Sissi, followed a crowd of Egyptian personalities, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the sons of the deceased, Alaa and Gamal, or the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II.
The current president briefly greeted Mubarak's family, who must then be buried in the family tomb in Heliopolis, in the east of the capital. The images of the procession, which lasted only a few minutes, were broadcast live on several Egyptian television channels, which wore a black mourning ribbon on the air.
As of Wednesday morning, a large security device, including armored vehicles, had been deployed near the mosque and the cemetery. Dozens of Mubarak admirers were gathered nearby, sporting portraits of the former president and Egyptian flags.
Tribute criticized by several pro-revolt activists
With this funeral in great pomp, the deposed president thus receives an official tribute from the Egyptian government. Three days of national mourning were declared as of Wednesday by the government of al-Sissi, who like the deceased president, is a soldier at the head of an authoritarian regime.
The tribute was however criticized by several pro-revolt activists on social networks, denouncing the repression of the movement in 2011 before the departure of Mubarak.
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