Author: Yezid Sayigh
Affiliation: Carnegie Middle East
Organization/Publisher: Carnegie Middle East
Date/Place: April 24, 2020/Lebanon
Type of Literature: Article
Word Count: 1992
Link: https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/81613
Keywords: Covid-19, Egyptian, Army
Brief:
Author and senior fellow Yezid Sayigh talks about how the Egyptian government handled Egypt’s Covid-19 crisis with continued denials, exposing the country and military to danger. Egyptian authorities then insisted that they had full control of all the cases. Meanwhile the government dealt with the people who doubted its narration with repression and intimidation. The writer draws attention to the new policy followed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to manage the crisis: allowing the Prime Minister and health professionals to take over, stepping aside of himself and the army, which has always interfered in various aspects of life in Egypt. He warns that the delay by the government and the Egyptian army to take the necessary measures to confront Covid-19 will necessarily lead to the virus spreading in the army while yet reassuring the Egyptian street. In the end, the writer refers to the seriousness of the situation and the government’s attempt to cover up the real number of cases among the citizens and the army including its leaders.
By: Taqwa Abu Kmeil, CIGA Research Assistant
