Latest from Mada
Mada
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Mada
Police evict residents as demolitions resume in Arish despite unfulfilled govt promise of alternative housing
Police units ordered residents to evacuate as the North Sinai governorate began to demolish homes on Monday in areas of Arish slated for development, according to two residents who spoke to Mada Masr. 'They came in with forces as if they were liberating Jerusalem,' one of them said. The area has been earmarked for clearance by the governorate for years as part of a project to expand Arish Port. But Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir previously promised that none of the residents would be evicted before they were relocated to housing of an equivalent standard. Residents are calling on authorities to follow through. Police entered two residential areas, phases four and five of the port's development plan, in the western Raysa neighborhood of Arish, the residents said. They then cordoned off a residential block near the old port street and ordered its residents to evacuate, after which demolition crews began tearing down their homes, the sources continued. Land in the neighborhood and elsewhere near Arish Port — around 371 feddans in total — was allocated to the Egyptian Armed Forces for redevelopment in 2019 by presidential decree. A second decree in 2021 expanded the area to 541 feddans. The plan would cover the entire eastern coastline of Arish — from the old port to the village of Sakaska at the city's far eastern edge — including the popular Raysa touristic beachfront, home to many villas and apartment buildings. Residents who live in the areas marked for phases four and five have staged demonstrations against the plan and reached out repeatedly to relevant authorities in hopes of halting the project and finding an alternative path forward. They protested amid an initial phase of surveying properties followed by demolitions carried out by the governorate in 2021 and 2022 in areas to the west of the development zone that primarily targeted clusters of beachfront chalets. In response, Wazir visited Arish in July 2022 and held a broad meeting with community representatives, one of the sources who attended the meeting said. The minister apologized for what he described as 'mistakes' during the earlier demolitions and assured residents that 'no one will be moved out of their home unless it's to one similar to it or better.' Demolition work stopped following the visit for three years, during which a wall was built between the already-cleared zones and the homes in phases four and five. An area of land in Arish was even considered by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority within Arish for the construction of a new residential neighborhood to which those evicted could relocate. Residents were shown architectural plans, but the committee never settled on a final location. The governorate said in recent weeks that it had received 'a very urgent directive to resume evacuations and demolitions as quickly as possible,' the two sources said, noting that the information was conveyed to them at the office of the governorate's general secretary which called an urgent meeting with the committee of local representatives, of which both are members, in June. Committee members flagged that they were owed equivalent homes before the demolitions, as per the promise made by Wazir three years ago. They found, however, that the secretary general seemed unaware of the minister's pledge. Despite assurances that he would follow up with officials and inform the committee of any updates, the two members said they heard nothing further until demolition crews arrived on Monday. Residents whose houses are threatened are refusing to leave, citing Wazir's commitment to them and voicing worry that they won't be granted fair compensation for their properties if they agree to evacuate. 'The governorate considers compensation figures a military secret — you're not allowed to know what you're getting until you hand in your property file and the place is demolished,' said the resident who attended the 2022 meeting with Wazir. People have learned, however, that the demolitions are to proceed based on data collected in a 2019 survey of their homes, and that authorities plan to calculate compensation using 2019 market rates. This is despite the fact that it should be possible to calculate fairer compensation based on more precise data gathered by the Armed Forces engineering authority during a more detailed survey conducted in 2022 in the same area, which coincided with Wazir's visit at the time, the resident said, 'Back then, a ton of cement cost LE800 — now it's LE5,000,' the source said. Residents are not encouraged by what happened to some of those impacted by the earlier demolition phases, who received as little as LE900,000 for fully finished five-story apartment buildings. Others affected during the first phases still haven't received compensation at all, the source added. 'We've learned from what happened to our neighbors — we're not leaving our homes. We'll die in them,' they continued. In late 2022, then North Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha said that valuation committees had appraised the value of finished residential units at LE3,500 per square meter, promising full disbursement after demolition. Affected families, he said, could opt to buy a 100-square-meter apartment for LE350,000 in one of ten residential buildings the governorate was constructing in southern Arish. Although construction has since been completed, the buildings remain uninhabited.
Mada
a day ago
- Politics
- Mada
Trump says US ‘working on' resolving Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute
After United States President Donald Trump said that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute is 'a big problem' that the US is 'working on' resolving, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed appreciation for what he described as Trump's keenness to reach a 'fair agreement' between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on the matter. 'If I am Egypt, I want to have water in the Nile,' Trump said during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, adding that the Nile is a 'very important source of income and life' for Egypt. In response, Sisi praised what he called Trump's 'recognition' of the river's vital importance for Egyptians in his statement on Tuesday. Egypt has voiced existential concerns over its water security in its decade-long dispute with Ethiopia, arguing that the dam imposes a fait accompli on downstream countries that will either compromise their access to water or force their hand in agreements about resource-sharing. The US stepped in as a mediator to three-way negotiations which were ultimately unresolved between the countries involved in 2019, later stepping back to an observing role in another stalled round of talks between the Nile states led by the African Union. During Monday's presser, Trump reiterated his previous claims that the GERD is funded by the US. 'I think the US funded the dam,' he said, adding, 'I do not know why they didn't solve the problem before they built the dam. But it is nice when the Nile River has water.' He also referred to 'keeping peace between Egypt and Ethiopia' in the GERD dispute in a post from June on social media, claiming that he will resolve the dispute along with a series of other international diplomatic impasses for which he deserves a Nobel Prize, and, similar to what he said on Monday, that the US financed the GERD project, though 'stupidly.' Trump noted Egypt's concerns at the time, saying that it 'substantially reduces the water flowing into the Nile River.' In response, the director general of GERD's Public Participation Coordination Office, Aregawi Berhe, denied Trump's claims and stressed that the project was built by the 'Ethiopian people.' Prime Minister Mostafa Madbuly announced in the weekly cabinet presser last week Ethiopia's intention to resume GERD negotiations, after a years-long lapse in the talks that collapsed in December 2023. Egypt asked Ethiopia to 'sign a document' that would turn the intention into a written commitment, he added. Egypt has repeatedly voiced its concerns over its access to vital water resources amid the dam's establishment in successive rounds of talks since 2013. The US mediated an earlier round of talks after Egypt called for international mediation toward a deal. Delegations from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan met three times in Washington DC in 2020. An Egyptian government source speaking to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity at the time said that there are three terms on which Egypt would not 'under any circumstances' compromise: an agreed minimum amount of water Ethiopia would have to release annually, legally-binding measures for mitigation and dispute resolution and a final document that does not imply any permanent concession from Egypt on its water rights. A consultant to the negotiations said that Ethiopia was also insisting on a water share — a term to which they said Egypt would never agree. Though America's role in any future talks is unclear, Trump's comments come months ahead of Addis Ababa's inauguration of the mega-dam project, scheduled for September. The country completed the fourth and final filling phase of the dam in 2023 in a move that Cairo said was 'unilateral' action that disregards the interests of downstream countries Sudan and Egypt.
Mada
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mada
Israel kills 12 Palestinians waiting for drinking water in central Gaza, including 8 children
Twelve people, including eight children, were killed on Sunday in an Israeli airstrike on a water distribution point in Nuseirat, central Gaza. The attack, one of dozens of airstrikes launched on the same day, represents the latest in a series of blows in which Israel has systematically undermined access to water for Palestinians in the strip, the Gaza Government Media Office said on Monday. Footage from the site shortly after the attack showed a large number of injured from among the crowds that had gathered with gallon containers to fetch water. Civilians could be seen carrying the injured, many of whom were young children, away from the scene. A picture from the targeted site on Monday showed the charred remains of a water tanker truck on a road in northeast Nuseirat. The driver was killed in the airstrike, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Ramy Abu Taima, who said that the tanker was filled with drinking water. Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat published an initial report on Monday announcing the arrival of 'eight martyrs, including six children, and 16 injuries, including seven children, as a result of the Israeli Occupation targeting a water distribution point in the New Camp area.' Gaza's Government Media Office updated the toll of the attack on Monday to twelve people in total. An Israeli military spokesperson, meanwhile, reportedly claimed that the missile with which it targeted a water distribution point had missed its target, which was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted the spokesperson as saying that the incident is under review. But over 110 freshwater filling stations have been targeted by Israeli aircraft over the past two years, the Government Media Office said, killing hundreds of civilians as they queue for drinking water. The attacks are part of the 'systematic and deliberate war of deprivation' of people in the Gaza Strip, in which 'water is a collective weapon of war to exterminate the population,'the media office said. Over 700 water wells have also been destroyed, depriving more than one million Palestinians of access to clean water. The Mekorot water supply, the last major source of water supply to the Gaza Strip, has been cut off since January 23, according to the office statement.
Mada
2 days ago
- Health
- Mada
Laila Seouif ends hunger strike amid concerns for her deteriorating health
After nearly 300 days, Laila Soueif, mother of long-imprisoned writer and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, ended her hunger strike, her daughters Sanaa and Mona Seif said on Monday morning. Soueif's decision came a few days after her family and rights figures pleaded for her to take medical advice and end her strike, following her brief readmission to hospital in London that her daughters said was due to a deterioration in her health. Mona Seif's latest statement stressed that Soueif is still in critical condition, explaining that while doctors have started a refeeding plan, several risks connected with prolonged malnutrition still need to be considered, including refeeding syndrome. Doctors have warned that the prolonged hunger strike could cause permanent damage that may extend to vital organs, while Soueif received a medical recommendation during her hospital admission last week to end her strike, at least temporarily. After her admission to hospital, Mona issued a plea for her mother to end the strike, fearing for her life. She called on those close to her mother to intervene and help convince her to end the strike to save her life and prevent the family from enduring yet another loss. The plea was followed by other calls that were made for Soueif to end her hunger strike, from family friends and public figures, including Mohamed al-Baqer, Abd El Fattah's former lawyer. In his statement, Baqer urged Soueif to end the strike, not because her efforts were futile, but out of the 'horror of losing' her. Soueif began her hunger strike on September 30 to protest Egyptian authorities' refusal to release Abd El Fattah at the end of his five-year sentence on false news charges, according to a statement made by the family at the time. Through extreme weight loss and several hospital admissions, Soueif has remained adamant that she will continue her strike as a last resort to pressure authorities in both Egypt and the United Kingdom to intervene to release Abd El Fattah. She and her son hold nationality in both countries. Abd El Fattah has been imprisoned since 2019, although he was convicted on false news charges and ordered to serve no longer than five years. Authorities refuse to count the two years he spent in remand detention toward his sentence. Amnesty International has cautioned that officials may find grounds to extend his detention beyond 2027, while a group of United Nations experts has concluded that the writer is now being held arbitrarily. Sanaa Seif stressed in her statement that Abd El Fattah is still committed to the partial hunger strike he began in prison on March 1.
Mada
3 days ago
- Mada
As Laila Soueif's health declines amid hunger strike for Alaa's freedom, Mona Seif pleas for Soueif to take medical advice
Mona Seif, sister of detained activist and writer Alaa Abd El Fattah, issued a plea on Friday in which she expressed fear for the life of her mother, Laila Soueif, following months of a hunger strike in which she has pressured authorities for the release of Abd El Fattah. Soueif visited a London hospital on Thursday amid what her daughters describe as a severe deterioration in her condition. Seif published a live-stream on social media on Friday in which she said that her mother is convinced that 'there's no way to get Alaa out except by dying.' Doctors have warned that the prolonged hunger strike — now in its eleventh month — could cause permanent damage that may extend to vital organs. Saying that the family has chosen not to share the 'terrifying and exhausting details' of the decline in Soueif's health condition, Seif called on those close to her mother to intervene and help convince her to end the strike to save her life and prevent the family from enduring yet another loss. 'This video isn't a plea to the state, or to the people. This is a plea to my mother, and to anyone who holds her dear,' Seif said. 'Please, pressure her — do anything. Mom must end this hunger strike because it's destroying her, and it's destroying us.' 'This is the last thing I can do,' said Seif. 'She's slipping away. My sister, my brother, myself — we can't bear the situation we are in.' Soueif has remained adamant that she will continue her strike, calling for authorities in both Egypt and the United Kingdom to intervene to release Abd El Fattah. Abd El Fattah has been imprisoned since 2019, although he was convicted on false news charges and ordered to serve no longer than five years. Yet authorities refuse to count the two years he spent in remand detention toward his sentence. Amnesty International has cautioned that officials may find grounds to extend his detention beyond 2027, while a group of United Nations experts has concluded that the writer is now being held arbitrarily. Seif's video prompted pleas from family friends and public figures, including Mohamed al-Baqer, Abd El Fattah's former lawyer, who called on Soueif to end the strike, not because her efforts were a mistake, but out of fear of losing her. 'The truth is, we're terrified,' he said. 'Terrified that we'll wake up one day and she won't be among us.' Following a hospital admission in June, Soueif marginally increased her caloric intake after repeated appeals from those close to her and Abd El Fattah's current lawyer, Khaled Ali. Sanaa Seif, daughter to Laila and sibling to Mona and Alaa, published an account of her mother's condition on Saturday evening, describing symptoms of persistent insomnia and impairments to her cognitive function. Doctors administered salts to her mother during the Thursday hospital visit, she wrote, but noted that her mother had refused medics advice to end her hunger strike and stay in hospital.
