A report published by two research centers in Washington called on the American administration to reduce its military aid to Egypt and to desist from turning a blind eye to the human rights violations practiced by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

According to the report, which was reported by the British Middle East Eye website, Washington's unconditional support for Egypt has prompted the country's leaders to feel that they have the right to enjoy this authority.

The report was published last Wednesday, and it was prepared by Seth Binder from the Middle East Democracy Project and William D. Hartong from the Center for International Policy.

According to this report, Sisi expects to continue to enjoy American assistance at high levels, "despite Egypt's lack of respect for the interests and interests of the United States, and instead of using this assistance to develop the capabilities of the army and advance common national security interests, the Egyptian government misused aid with favoritism and influence."

The authors of the report called for a reduction of $ 1.3 billion in annual aid to Egypt by $ 300 million, in order to rededicate funds for humanitarian purposes, and to assist in international efforts to combat the spread of the Corona virus.

They also demanded more transparency regarding how aid is distributed, and they stressed the need to put "red lines" to stop aid completely, if Cairo continues its practices that flagrantly violate human rights.


Great influence

The report accused successive US administrations of underestimating human rights violations in Egypt and idealizing the relationship between Cairo and Washington, adding that President Donald Trump adopted the Egyptian "authoritarian regime" to a greater extent than his predecessors.

He pointed out that Sisi, since his rise to power in the aftermath of the 2013 coup, sought to eliminate political opposition.

"The Sisi regime has engaged in a systematic pattern of gross violations of human rights, from the killing of peaceful protesters in the streets to the imprisonment of tens of thousands of political opponents, including journalists, academics and human rights defenders. The Sisi government has also tightened the noose on NGO activity," the authors of the report wrote. The independent, it abolished the free and independent press, and contributed to fueling tensions between Muslims and Christians. " 

According to the report, Egypt has resorted in recent years to Russia and France to conclude new arms deals, but after decades of dependence on American equipment, the Egyptian army will have difficulty operating without American support, "which makes Egyptians at the mercy of the United States," according to the report's description. 


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The report pointed out that the American aid failed to achieve its stated goals, namely, to help Egypt in its efforts to combat terrorism and secure borders, as well as the military campaign against the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula.

He added that "the Egyptian campaign against the militants is ineffective, as the terrorists continue to launch deadly attacks against military and civilian targets, and the massive human losses have alienated the local communities and radicalized large numbers of individuals, who were subsequently recruited by one of the 12 terrorist groups active in That region. "

The report quoted Congressman Tom Malinowski, a leading critic of Cairo in Washington, as saying that the Egyptian army was "totally incompetent in responding to disasters."

"Despite the services that Egypt gets from the White House, in return it does not give us anything on the ground," Malinovsky said. "This is not the situation in which we trade human rights for something that would serve the American national interest. Egypt does not contribute in any way." In achieving the goals of peace and security. " 

Moreover, the report indicated that the assistance provided to Cairo does not give Washington influence over Sisi’s policies, but that Egypt is accused of undermining American interests in the region, as the authors of the report in this regard cited Cairo’s support for Libyan General Khalifa Hifter, and the rapprochement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , And military cooperation with Moscow.