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Abdel Fattah el-Sissi
Image: John Macdougall/AP Photo/picture allianceImage: John Macdougall/AP Photo/picture alliance

Abdel Fattah el-Sissi

Abdel Fattah el-Sissi took office as the sixth president of Egypt in June 2014 after a 2013 military coup that deposed former President Mohamed Morsi.

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All Content on this topic

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates stand in front of a building project miniature

Egypt's human rights ignored amid Israel-Hamas war

As Egypt works to mediate the Israel-Hamas war, other governments are looking away from its dismal human rights record.
ConflictsOctober 19, 2024
Emergency teams respond to the scene of a train collision that caused two carriages to plunge into a canal in Minya, Egypt, on October 13, 2024

Egypt: Police investigate deadly train crash

A locomotive crashed into the back of a Cairo-bound passenger train, in the province of Minya, authorities said.
CatastropheOctober 13, 2024
Erdogan welcomes el-Sissi on the tarmac at Ankara's airport

Egypt's el-Sissi meets Erdogan on first visit to Turkey

After a decade of hostile ties, Cairo and Ankara want to restore relations and address regional and commercial issues.
PoliticsSeptember 4, 2024
Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi (left)

How the Gaza war is bringing Turkey and Egypt together

Turkish President Erdogan once called his Egyptian counterpart el-Sissi a "murderer" but now uses "brother" instead.
PoliticsSeptember 3, 2024
Egyptian politician Ahmed Altantawy in a suit and tie

Egypt sentences presidential challenger to jail, hard labor

A one-year jail sentence against Ahmed Altantawy, who challenged President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in elections last year,
PoliticsMay 27, 2024
Several men with belongings in the desert

Egypt's ties with Israel hit 45-year-low amid Gaza conflict

Egypt has hardened its stance toward Israel over the Gaza conflict, but analysts doubt their peace treaty is at risk.
PoliticsMay 16, 2024
People walk past a currency exchange point, displaying an image of the U.S. dollar, in Cairo

Egypt: Cash helps now, but only reforms secure the future

Recent investments have saved Egypt's economy for now, but experts say sweeping reforms will determine Egypt's future.
PoliticsApril 5, 2024
Smiling Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on a billboard on the side of a street

Could Egypt's presidential election be a chance for change?

Observers doubt a third term for President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi will fix the economy or dire human rights situation.
PoliticsDecember 9, 2023
A TOGG EV plant near Bursa, Turkey

As economy tanks, Turkish companies eye Egypt

Rampant inflation and economic uncertainty have pushed many companies in Turkey to relocate to Egypt.
BusinessDecember 2, 2023
People take part in a protest in support of Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at al-Azhar Mosque in Old Cairo

Israel-Gaza: Neighboring Egypt's tricky tightrope act

Egypt is balancing public pro-Palestinian sentiment with fears of facilitating permanent displacement of Gaza locals.
PoliticsNovember 7, 2023
People with Egyptian flags next to a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid

Egypt's Rafah crossing: Deadlocks block Gaza lifeline

Egypt is unwilling to open its border and allow aid to enter Gaza over fears of permanent Palestinian resettlement.
PoliticsOctober 17, 2023
Sailboats bearing posters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi take part in a rally on the River Nile

Will Egypt's presidential election bring any real change?

Critics have said the presidential election resembles an electoral theater that is unlikely to change the status quo.
PoliticsOctober 4, 2023
Supporters of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi hold election placards with his likeness

Egypt's el-Sissi says he'll run for third presidential term

After amending the constitution, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi confirmed his intention to run in this year's election.
PoliticsOctober 3, 2023
A poster of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi among debris from a protest camp in Rabaa, Cairo.

Egypt's Rabaa massacre: Still waiting for justice

The massacre of protesters in Cairo is one of the worst in modern history — and also one of the best documented.
PoliticsAugust 13, 2023
Diplomats sat round a table in a meeting of Egyptian and Tirkish foreign ministry officials in 2021

Egypt, Turkey appoint ambassadors after a decade-long rift

Egypt had expelled Turkey's ambassador in 2013 after Ankara backed Cairo's ousted Islamist president.
PoliticsJuly 4, 2023
Activists with signs and candles during the sit-in by Amnesty International Italia and Egypt HD for the prisoner of conscience Alaa Abd El Fattah in front of the UK Embassy in Rome.

10 years later: Why are Egyptian human rights ignored?

Activists complain the international community often talks about Egypt's economy, but says far less about human rights.
PoliticsJuly 3, 2023
Narendra Modi and Abdel Fattah el-Sissi shaking hands

Egypt and India eye 'strategic partnership' as Modi visits

India's Modi praised his visit to Cairo as "historic" after he and Egypt's el-Sissi pledged to boost bilateral ties.
PoliticsJune 25, 2023
A lesbian couple at the beach, hugging gently

LGBTQ rights in Egypt: Queer community battles crackdown

Despite reports on increased digital targeting of LGBTQ people, the online crackdown has been systemic, observers say.
SocietyMarch 30, 2023
Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Egypt: New push to free activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Could global pressure improve Egypt's dire human rights record and boost the country's desolate economic situation?
PoliticsMarch 18, 2023
A man in Cairo walks past a foreign exchange office with a huge dollar note poster

Egypt: President El-Sissi's difficult economic makeover

The economic crisis and IMF demands mean investment is vital for Egypt, but military-run projects could be a dampener.
PoliticsFebruary 16, 2023
An anti-government protest in Cairo

Egypt hands down life sentences over 2019 protests

Among those sentenced in absentia was prominent government critic Mohamed Ali, a businessman who exiled in Spain.
Law and JusticeJanuary 16, 2023
Mada Masr's journalists (left to right): Rana Mamdouh, Sara Seif Eddin, editor-in-chief Lina Attalah and Beesan Kassab in front of the Cairo Appeals Prosecution after being released on bail.

Egypt: Crackdown endangers the last bastion of free press

Egyptian authorities have increased pressure on Madr Masr after a critical report.
PoliticsSeptember 14, 2022
Sanaa Seif, the sister of Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, .

Egyptian activist 'disappointed' with German politics

The sister of Alaa Abdel-Fattah, Egypt's best-known political prisoner, speaks to DW about her brother's hunger strike.
PoliticsJuly 28, 2022
A production facility of Rosatom manufactures components of a vessel for the el-Dabaa nuclear power plant

Russian firm builds Egypt's first nuclear plant

Energy giant Rosatom has praised the new plant as "the largest project of Russian-Egyptian cooperation" since the 1950s.
PoliticsJuly 21, 2022
A Saudi man smokes a cigarette and reads something on his mobile phone in Riyadh

How cybercrime laws are silencing dissent in Mideast

Many Mideast countries misuse cybercrime legislation to crush dissent. Could a new UN treaty save critics?
PoliticsMay 13, 2022
Members of security forces patrol around al-Rawda mosque, in Sinai

Egypt says militant attack kills 11 troops in Sinai

At least 11 troops were killed after militants attacked a water pumping station east of the Suez Canal.
ConflictsMay 7, 2022
Bakery in Cairo, with a young boy piling up flat bread

Egypt fears for food supply as wheat prices rise

Egypt is pushing for reforms, but the future will depend on true changes to secure food and prevent another uprising.
PoliticsMarch 26, 2022
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Naftali Bennett

Egypt hosts UAE, Israeli leaders for 3-way talks

The three leaders discussed food security in Cairo as the war in Ukraine sparks concerns over economic stability.
PoliticsMarch 22, 2022
Protesters with handcuffs stand next to a 'Stop Political Executions in Egypt' banner during the demonstration in London

UN asked to monitor Egypt human rights

More than 170 European politicians have signed a letter asking for closer focus on human rights in Egypt
Human RightsFebruary 3, 2022
A prison in Cairo with security forces and a guard

Egypt: 'Lifting emergency is just a PR stunt'

Analysts doubt that the situation in Egypt will change. A tangible signal could be the release of political prisoners.
PoliticsOctober 29, 2021
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at a press conference in November 2020

Egypt's el-Sissi ends state of emergency

The measure, long slammed by rights groups as a means to crush dissent, was imposed in 2017 to "fight terrorism."
PoliticsOctober 26, 2021
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh

Israeli leader visits Egypt for the first time in 10 years

The two leaders discussed security and economic issues in the first visit of an Israeli leader to Egypt in a decade.
PoliticsSeptember 13, 2021
Egyptian influencers Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm who were sent to prison

Tech-savvy Egypt is targeting TikTokers

Egypt's cybercrime law was written to fight extremism. So why is the government going after influencers?
PoliticsJune 26, 2021
Dassault Rafale fighter jet

France agrees sale of war planes to Egypt

Paris is selling 30 Rafale fighter jets to the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, enraging rights advocates.
PoliticsMay 3, 2021
Protesters in Cairo waving flags on Cairo's Tahrir Square

Egypt's bleak reality

It's been 10 years since the Arab Spring ousted President Hosni Mubarak — and the new regime's grip is firmer than ever.
PoliticsJanuary 25, 2021
Kommentarbild Emoji Frau dunkle Haut

Egypt is synonymous with hopelessness

Farida Layl
Ten years ago, hope and dreams of a better future swept through Cairo. Today there is nothing left.
PoliticsJanuary 25, 2021
Ten years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, many of those who led protests are disillusioned or in jail.

Icons of Egypt's 2011 revolution: Where are they now?

Ten years after Egypt's January 25 revolution, many of those who led protests are disillusioned or in jail.
PoliticsJanuary 24, 20219 images
Ganzeer's tank pointing at a boy on a bicycle is an iconic image from the 2011 revolution

Egypt's revolutionary street art

In 2011, street artists used their creativity to voice dissent in Egypt as thousands demanded democratic rights.
CultureJanuary 23, 2021
Gasser Abdel Razek, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Freedoms

Egypt steps up activist arrests after meeting diplomats

Egypt's police stepped up arrests Thursday in an "unprecedented escalation" after a rights group met foreign diplomats.
Human RightsNovember 20, 2020
Federal Press Office head Steffen Seifert with Chancellor Angela Merkel

Germany charges Egyptian with spying

Germany's domestic intelligence service says Egypt's spy agencies 'focus' on Egyptian dissidents living in Germany.
PoliticsNovember 16, 2020
President Adbel Fattah el-Sisi supports wave flags and posters

El-Sissi loyalists lead polls as Egyptians vote

Millions have begun voting in the Arab world’s most populous country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
PoliticsOctober 24, 2020
Egypt prison

Europe lawmakers urge release of Egypt's political prisoners

Almost 300 European and US lawmakers want Egypt to release political prisoners in an "unprecedented mobilization."
SocietyOctober 21, 2020
Three helicopters fly past an Egyptian flag

Egypt's poorest risk rare protests

Egypt's poor have been squeezed enough to risk rare protests. But authorities continue to use violence to silence them.
PoliticsOctober 7, 2020
Egyptian security guards outside Tora prison in Cairo

Egypt targets activists in new wave of arrests

Human rights officials have called on Germany and the EU to take bold action to end the new wave of repression.
PoliticsJune 26, 2020
A photo of Tora prison in Cairo

Egypt: Filmmaker critical of el-Sissi dies in jail

An Egyptian filmmaker jailed for directing a music video critical of the president has died in prison, his lawyer says.
Human RightsMay 2, 2020
An APC carrying Egyptian troops in North Sinai

Egypt: Deadly blast targets soldiers in Sinai

An attack targeting soldiers has caused 10 casualties, an army spokesman said. No group has claimed responsibility.
ConflictsMay 1, 2020
Autor Rainer Hermann

No beacon of hope, no bridge builder

Rainer Hermann
The Egyptian president is the opposite of that which is worthy of distinction, says the FAZ's Rainer Hermann.
PoliticsFebruary 7, 2020
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi shaking hands with Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou

Egypt's el-Sissi: One year heading the AU

As Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Siss ends his year as head of the AU, the continent still grapples with conflicts.
PoliticsFebruary 7, 2020
Dresden Semperoper in 2011

Opera ball in trouble over el-Sissi medal

The event organizers' decision to honor Egypt's president with an award prompted an outcry — and led a host to quit.
PoliticsJanuary 30, 2020
GNA-alligned fighters near Tripoli

Turkey, Egypt raise stakes in Libya

Turkey signaled it was ready to send in troops if asked by the UN-backed government, while Egypt is supporting Haftar.
ConflictsDecember 15, 2019