Today, Monday, 7 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, called on the International Monetary Fund to link a new loan, which it is currently negotiating with Egypt, to give Egyptians more economic and social rights, and to be more transparent about the role of the army in the economy.

Egypt, which relies heavily on imports of wheat and sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine, has been hit hard by the current rise in commodity prices.

Inflation reached 10% on an annual basis in February, an increase that experts mainly attribute to a 20% increase in food prices.

The organizations warned that a new loan from the IMF will mean more taxes and less government support for basic commodities, and therefore, according to these organizations, it should "guarantee decent living conditions for all Egyptians, especially in the field of food."

And 30 million Egyptians, out of the total population of 103 million, live below the poverty line, and another 30 million suffer from precarious conditions, according to the World Bank.

In addition to supporting the poor, the organizations are calling for the private sector to be allowed to operate, after its participation in economic activities outside the oil sector was significantly reduced four years ago in favor of the army.

The seven organizations say, "The fierce economic expansion of the army coincides with the increasing political repression, which sometimes affects businessmen."

She pointed out that "the government has consistently undermined the independence of its anti-corruption bodies, and has not implemented anti-corruption laws."

The inflation rate jumped after Cairo launched an economic reform program in November 2016 under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund.

Based on this program, the Cairo Fund granted a loan of about $12 billion in return for strict austerity measures, including devaluation of the pound (the local currency) and a review of the system of subsidizing basic foodstuffs.

In 2020, the International Monetary Fund approved a program worth $5.4 billion to help Egypt cope with the repercussions of the pandemic, which has affected the country severely due to the sudden halt in tourism and air transport.

Cairo received the final installment of this program in June 2021.