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Monday the 23rd of September, in a meeting between President Trump and Egypt`s military autocrat, Trump declares his support for the Egyptian dictator. Abdel Fattah El Sisi, for the first time since assuming the presidency was facing the prospect of protests against his rule. On another occasion, Trump was heard calling the Egyptian leader “his favourite dictator”, showing the warmth of the relationship between the pair.
The call for the protest originated from an exiled contractor, Mohamed Ali, who worked closely with the military for a number of years. In a series of videos, the exiled contractor exposed the corruption of the military establishment, and the lavish expenditure on presidential palaces, at a time of rising poverty and economic hardship. In response to the protests that transpired against the regime, the security forces presided over the largest wave of arrests under Sisi. The number of detainees reached 2300 over a period of two weeks. This included the arrest of 111 minors. The use of torture was employed during the crackdown. The regime also orchestrated pro-government protests. The location selected was Nasr City, more specifically, Raba’a square, where the worst massacre in modern Egyptian history occurred.
