Egyptian army
Sept 16,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
The Biden administration has allowed much of US foreign military aid to
Egypt to go ahead, saying the country was vital for US national security
interests, despite what critics have said about widespread human rights
abuses, Reuters reports.
Washington has only withheld $85 million of the aid which, under US law, was contingent on Egypt making “clear and consistent progress” in releasing political prisoners, which the United States said Cairo did not fulfil.
That amount withheld is a fraction of the $1.3 billion a year allocated for
Egypt.
The United States has long provided Egypt with large amounts of military
and other aid, ever since the Arab world’s most populous nation signed a peace
deal with neighbouring Israel in 1979. Cairo has remained a close
regional ally of Washington.
The law allows a further $235 million to be withheld, as that portion is
also conditioned on Egypt meeting democracy and human rights requirements, but
US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, used his right to waive these
conditions, US officials said.
Egypt’s voice is a crucial one, on so many issues
across the region that we’re trying to work together in the spirit of regional
peace and security
said a
senior State Department official who briefed reporters on the decision.
The
decision did not diminish US commitment to advancing human rights in Egypt,
said other US officials, also speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Washington has held “tough conversations” with the Egyptians on its human
rights track record, the officials said.
But rights
groups who have long accused Egypt of widespread abuses under
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s government, including torture and enforced
disappearances, said the US decision sends the wrong message.
The administration is effectively telling Sisi’s
government that it saw improvement in the human rights situation over the past
year when, in fact, things have degenerated significantly
a
consortium of 16 groups that include Freedom House and the Project on Middle
East Democracy (POMED) said in a statement.
“This
undermines any efforts by the administration to address human rights concerns
in Egypt and will only further embolden Al-Sisi, risking further destabilising
the country.”
Sisi denies
there are political prisoners in Egypt. He says stability and security are
paramount and authorities are promoting rights by trying to provide basic
needs, such as jobs and housing.
Political
analysts said Western powers are reluctant to take serious action against a
strategic ally that has served as a mediator in long-standing issues such as
the Arab-Israeli conflict, and which controls the Suez Canal, one of the
world’s most valuable shipping lanes.
MEmonitor
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