"As long as Gamal Abdel Nasser remains president of the republic, I must be commander-in-chief of the armed forces." It seemed to

Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer

highly convinced of this rule - which Egypt fell prey to for many years - as he insisted on his return to office despite the reprehensible defeat in 1967, and why Nasser retracted his resignation and returned to power.

This phrase, which the late President Anwar Sadat quoted from Amer in the book "Searching for the Self", was the key to the years-long relationship between the Field Marshal and Abdel Nasser, which began with a solid friendship, which turned into violent power struggles, for which the people paid dearly for their freedom and dignity. His sons, the last line in which is Aamir's death, suicide or killed.

The life of Amer - who falls on December 11, the first anniversary after his 100th birthday - remained until his last days full of internal and external conflicts and massive events that played a major role in shaping the history of Egypt and the Arab region.

Boarding

Muhammad Abdel Hakim Amer was born on December 11, 1919, in the village of Astal (in the Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt), to a well-off family, as his father was the mayor of the village.

Amer joined the Military Academy in 1935, and graduated in 1938, to work in the Egyptian army forces operating in Sudan in 1941, where he met Gamal Abdel Nasser, and their friendship deepened.

To form the Free Officers Organization, which overthrew King Farouk in 1952, in what was later known as the July 23 Revolution.

On a day like this in 1919 AD, Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel Hakim Amer, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in Egypt and a very close friend of Gamal Abdel Nasser and one of the Free Officers who revolted against the monarchy was born.


He jumped


from the

rank of

Major to the

counselor in 5 years between 1953 and 1958 and served as defense minister and vice president.

pic.twitter.com/n4Ua8LkEmI

- Today In History (@ 2dayAndHistory) December 11, 2020

Power Partners

The face of Egypt changed after the "Free Officers" took over the reins of power in the country, and Omar - after his friend Nasser - had the lion's share in the spoils of rule, as he was exceptionally promoted in 1953 from the rank of Sought (major) to the rank of major general, at the age of 34, to become the Commander in Chief For the Armed Forces, and in the following year, Minister of War.

Some historians believe that Abdel Nasser, who was working to get rid of all his political and military opponents, did not find anyone closer to him than Amer to take command of the army, and to become his impenetrable bulwark in the face of his opponents, and he released his hand in dealing with the armed forces, until he was able to have great popularity with Army officers.

Positions without limits

During the following years, Amer continued to obtain promotions and major positions in all fields, despite his repeated failure in various fields, such as the military defeat in the Suez War in 1956, the unity with Syria that ended in the tragedy of secession in September 1961, and then the Yemen War (1962-1967). ) That drained the Egyptian army.

On the military side, Amer was promoted in 1958 to the rank of Lieutenant General, then to the rank of Field Marshal, which is the highest rank in the Egyptian military.

In terms of political positions, Amer became Vice President of the Republic in March 1958, and First Vice President in 1964, and assumed the duties of chairing the High Committee of the High Dam, the Supreme Council for Public Institutions of an Economic Character, the Committee for the Liquidation of Feudalism, and the Football Association, all of that besides his position in Army Command.

During these years, the Field Marshal helped the military to penetrate their role in all walks of life and seize the strings of power, especially after he learned about the attempts of Nasser in 1962 to remove him from the armed forces, so that Egypt fell into "the worst spiral that could enter it," according to Sadat. .

The defining defeat

The resounding defeat of the Egyptian army in June 1967 came as a window of opportunity for Abdel Nasser to overthrow Siddiq al-Omar, who was contesting his rule and influence.

Abdel Nasser delivered his resignation speech on June 9, 1967 without mentioning Amer's resignation, which was considered by the latter to be a game by the president to return alone later, and to hold the Field Marshal alone responsible for the defeat, which happened later after Nasser retracted his resignation.

Soon, Abdel Nasser began to overthrow the Field Marshal's men, and on June 11, he appointed Lieutenant General Mohamed Fawzi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, accepted the resignations of the leaders of the armed forces branches, and referred a large number of soldiers loyal to Amer to the pension, and instead appointed other leaders loyal to him.

Aamer's army

Amer’s great popularity among army officers was an obsession with Nasser, which prompted him to try to think of a settlement that would end the danger of the Field Marshal and not bring his enmity at the same time, so he offered to return him to the position of First Vice President of the Republic.

But without specializations, especially those related to the armed forces, which Amer refused, holding on to his powers and his military position.

Amer believed that he was a basic figure in the power equation, and as long as Nasser remained in power, this means that he must remain a basic partner.

Amer returned from his village, Astal, in which he was hidden for several days, to his home in Giza, to ignite a new phase of conflict between the two sides, where Abdel Nasser expanded the liquidation of Amer’s supporters in the army, overthrew hundreds of officers, and ordered the removal of the photos of the Field Marshal from all units, and the lifting of the guard from his home.

On the other hand, Amer called on his closest supporters to take refuge in his home so that they would not be arrested, and his house was turned into a fortress, and the idea of ​​forming a private militia to protect the field marshal was known as the "Jalalib Guard", in reference to the people of his village, who took over his protection alongside the soldiers loyal to him.

Democracy Mask

The Marshal took advantage of the slogan of democracy to put pressure on the president, and according to Sadat, Amer knew very well that nothing irritated Abdel Nasser like talking about democracy, and that he was a dictator, so he resorted to printing the resignation, which he presented in 1962, declaring that he does not believe in individual rule, and that he does not Parties must be brought back and freedom of the press achieved.

At the same time, the idea arose of transferring Field Marshal Amer to the General Command in the Canal region and seizing it, so that the armed forces would rally around him, through which he could exert pressure on Abdel Nasser and dictate his conditions.

Fall into a trap

A few days before this plan was due to be implemented, Nasser invited Amer to visit him at his home on August 25.

The Field Marshal believed that his pressures paid off so that Abdel Nasser would withdraw his powers and that he would invite him to reconcile with him, and perhaps invite him to travel with him to the Khartoum summit, and on the appointed date Amer went to Nasser’s house without realizing that he was entering a well-prepared trap that he would not get out of unless his freedom was robbed. After losing his power and authority in the previous weeks.

Amer faced a trial in Abdel Nasser’s house that lasted about 5 hours in the presence of Zakaria Mohi El-Din, Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat and Hussein Al-Shafi’i, while a military force led by Lieutenant General Fawzi was at his home to arrest those who were holed up in him, including civilians and soldiers, to return to his home alone, and his residence was determined awaiting his fate. the last one.

The end moments

On September 13, 1967, Abdel Nasser issued a decision to transfer the Field Marshal from his home to a rest house in Mariouteya, under the pretext of continuing to secretly communicate with abroad, spreading rumors and inciting public opinion against the President, and despite Amer’s attempts to stay at his home, he was eventually forced to leave.

One day after he was transferred to the Mariouteya rest house, the life of the Field Marshal had come to an end, as the official authorities announced that he had committed suicide using the poisonous substance Acontaine, while his family insisted that he had been assassinated, which is the account that is supported by a number of specialists and historians while others reject it.

Thus, the last stop in the raging conflict between the two power groups came with Amer’s disappearance from life, killed or killed, and if this matter was not resolved yet, then it is certain that he swallowed the poison of the military struggle for power.