The Cairo Monitor

Breaking news, political commentary and cultural stories about Egypt.

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"Foreign Hands" behind Sinai attack

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said that the assault on an army checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula was a "foreign-funded operation."

Militants launched a complex assault on the checkpoint Friday that involved a car bomb possibly detonated by a suicide attacker, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs placed to target rescuers. The attack killed 31 troops. A military funeral was held over the weekend for the slain troops. 

Egypt declared a state of emergency after the Sinai attack, and imposed a 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew in the restive part of the peninsula. 

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. 

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New generation of archaeologists bringing fresh ideas to help reform ancient Egypt into 21st century

Five years ago, if Egyptian archaeologists found human bones while digging up ancient ruins, they would usually throw them away. 

But outside of Egypt, the story of bones (or "osteology,") is standard practice on digs. 

Afaf Wahba, a young official at Egypt's antiquities ministry, wants Egypt to follow suit. After a five-year campaign, Egyptian provinces are not meant to each have an osteologist. 

Despite its power and potential, MSA is often accused of being a quagmire of paperwork. Foreign archaeologists complain that they sometimes cannot import necessary equipment, or export rock samples for analysis. Because taking samples to foreign laboratories is banned, local digs are overlooked by international donors. 

Local archaeologists have grievances as well. Many want better field training, and say ideas for reform are rarely considered.  Activists say Egypt’s oldest pyramid, the Djoser at Saqqara, has been ruined by a ministry-sponsored restoration effort. The ministry denies the charge.

The new wave of officials have a new approach to archaeology at Egypt's leading state university. New ministry leadership has given archaeologists hope for change. 

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U.S.-designated terrorist sentenced to life by Egyptian Court

On Wednesday, an Egyptian court sentenced a U.S.-designated terrorist suspected of links to al-Qaeda to life in prison.

Muhammad Jamal el-Kashif, a 50-year-old militant designated as a terrorist by the U.S. State Department and added to a U.N. sanctions list of individuals suspected of links to al-Qaeda, was among 12 militants charged with plotting attacks against police, military, foreign missions and ships passing through the Suez Canal.

El-Kashif, arrested in Egypt in 2012, is accused of setting up training camps for militants in Egypt and Libya. The U.S. State Department designated him a terrorist in 2013, on grounds that he had trained in Afghanistan in the late 1980s and returned to Egypt in the 1990s when an Islamic insurgency against Mubarak was peaking.

The U.N. said he is reported to have been involved in the September 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador and other staff. 

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Billions needed to upgrade Egypt’s telecom infrastructure

As part of an effort to attract multinationals and restore growth to Egypt, the country is seeking investment to upgrade its telecommunications infrastructure.

Atef Helmy, Minster of Communications and Information Technology, said the country needs $5-6 billion to expand its broadband internet nationwide. An additional $3 billion is needed to build seven technology parks Egypt hopes will lure multinationals and provide employment for Egyptians.

Political upheaval and militant violence since the 2011 upraising that resulted in the ouster of Hosni Mubarak has impacted Egypt’s finances, scaring away the potential investors the country needs to create much-needed jobs and growth.

Some of these investment opportunities will be presented at a February economic summit aimed at encouraging investment in Egypt. The conference will take place in Sharm al-Sheikh.

Helmy said that the telecoms and technology sector is one of the most competitive sectors when it comes to investment. With the penetration rate for high-speed internet at a mere 15 percent, Helmy explained that Egypt offers extensive untapped potential for investors. With high-speed internet, each 10 percent penetration will create between 50,000-60,000 jobs. 

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Moody’s raises Egypt’s outlook to stable

Egypt’s political and security situation has stabilized, prompting Moody’s Investor Services to raise the country’s outlook from negative to stable.

The Moody’s credits the revised assessment to “the launch of government initiatives toward fiscal consolidation, signs of a growth recovery and an improvement in macroeconomic stability.”

The government bond rating was kept at “CAA1,” which is essentially junk bond level. The continued low rating was attributed to “the very weak and challenging state of Egypt’s government finances.”

The improved Moody’s outlook will be a prerequisite for attracting investors to the country, and is an important change ahead of a major donor’s conference scheduled for February 2015. At the conference, the Egyptian government is looking to raise as much as $100 billion.

Egypt’s Finance Ministry predicts growth rates of up to 6 percent within three years, which would mark a major turn around for the country. Government officials have said that recent tourism figures are showing signs of recovery, as a number of key countries lift travel warnings to the Sinai Peninsula, a popular resort destination. 

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Egypt growth is key to stability in the region

At the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate 2014, speakers stressed the importance of Egypt’s economic development as a driver of stability in the region. The three-day debate was held by the Emirates Policy Centre in Abu Dhabi.

David Ignatius, Associate Editor and columnist of the Washington Post, moderated the session themed “The Impact of Political Developments in Egypt on Regional Geopolitical Projects.”

Ignatius asked Nabil Fahmy, Founding Dean of the School of Public Affairs at the American University in Cairo and former Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, about the impact that Egypt may have on the MENA region.

Fahmy stated, “Egypt has a quarter of the MENA region’s population. Any change in Egypt may affect the entire MENA countries.” 

Fahmy explained that the current problem facing Egypt was determining the new identity of the Egyptian society following two revolutions. He said that Egyptians currently prefer stability to any democratic demands, claiming, “We will build the democracy for the sake of Egypt . . . Not for the West.”

Mohamed Anis Salem, Director of Development Works, Cairo, said that in the five years before the first revolution, Egypt’s economy had been moving on the right track. Although the revolutions disrupted the economy, it has started bouncing back again.

Salem said that crucial decisions have been taken, including a decision on a government subsidy given to Egyptian citizens. A qualitative change in the subsidy has been made.

Ayman Al-Sayyad, Editor-in-Chief of Points of View magazine, Egypt, asked, “to what extent will the economic growth and stability in Egypt make up for freedom and justice?” He urged the government to apply law and principles of justice on all people.

He warned that the Muslim Brotherhood had failed to contain and accommodate other parties and factions—one of their fatal mistakes. He worried that the same mistake could be repeated by the incumbent regime. 

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Egypt's police stations to have units to monitor human rights abuses

Egypt's police stations will soon include departments focused on monitoring human rights breaches. 

The new department will be led by an officer who has had training courses in human rights. 

The first human rights unit has already been established in Al-Nozha districts. The head of Cairo's security directorate says the unit will keep contact with the district's residents, and will investigate complaints on assaults as well as detention conditions.

The units are to ensure that police brutality does not return to Egypt. Police brutality and abuse was one of the causes of the popular 2011 revolt against longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. 

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Israel and Hamas expected to resume negotiations in Cairo next week

Two months after a cease-fire effectively ended an outbreak between Hamas and Israel, the two countries are expected to resume indirect negotiations in Cairo next week. 

The negotiations are meant to find a long-term agreement in the Gaza Strip. A senior Hamas official said the talks are set to resume 27 October. 

The announcement follows an invitation issued to both sides by the Egyptians, and comes two weeks after international donors pledged $5.4 billion to rehabilitate Gaza. 

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1 January appeal date set for Al Jazeera journalists

An Egyptian court has set the date for an appeals hearing for the three Al Jazeera journalists serving jail time. 

On 1 January 2015, Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste will plead their case to overturn convictions on charges of spreading false news and aiding the terrorist organization Muslim Brotherhood.  

If the verdict is upheld, the only other alternative for the journalists' freedom is for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to offer a pardon. 

President Sisi has made sympathetic remarks about the imprisoned journalists, saying he wished they had been deported, not put on trial. He has not explicitly stated whether he would use his presidential power to pardon them. 

Al Jazeera's Qatari owners back the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt declared a terrorist organization last year. 

In a statement on Monday, Al Jazeera said the appeals hearing "will look at the process behind the original trial, a process that Al Jazeera says was flawed, and is the basis of the appeal".

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King Tut Unmasked

Buck teeth, wide hips, a severe limp, and a club foot -- many are surprised that those attributions describe Egypt's famous Pharaoh. 

King Tutankhamun has been digitally recreated to show that the icon may have had a different life than his majestic golden burial mask suggested. The "virtual autopsy" is a result of 2,000 computer scans, along with a genetic analysis of the young king's family. 

Reports suggest that King Tut's parents were brother and sister. King Tut was the child of Akhenaten, who had a relationship with his sister, Albert Zink, 

“The virtual autopsy shows the toes are divergent – in layman’s terms it’s club foot. He would have been heavily limping,” Egyptian radiologist Ashraf Selim said. 

To support this claim, 130 used walking canes can be found in King Tut's tomb. 

King Tut may have also inherited illnesses from his parents. Several members of the Tutankhamun family suffered illnesses that may have been posed by hormonal imbalances. 

A lecturer in surgery at Imperial College London, Hutan Ashrafian, explained that King Tut's immediate family died earlier and earlier each generation. A lot of his family predecessors, however, lived to a ripe old age. 

Incest was neither forbidden nor frowned upon in Ancient Egyptian society. The health implications on children were not yet discovered. 

A BBC One special documentary to air next Sunday will show these new created images of King Tut, and dive into the mysterious death of the 19-year-old boy king. 

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Sisi tells officials not to praise him in speeches

A leaked memo from Egypt's cabinet shows President Abdel Fattah el Sisi telling officials not to praise him in speeches and meetings. 

The leaked memo went viral, with Sisi's supporters hailing the President for his modesty. 

The memo provides guidelines for officials: 

The speeches of the officials should not exceed more than five to seven minutes in ceremonies. 

The speeches of the officials in the attendance of the president should be in the context of the ceremony and should be free from all praise of the president.

Not to use words or synonyms or titles "of exaggeration" when officials speak or introduce the president at the event. 

To introduce the president in this way: Mr. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the president of the republic, and His Excellency President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the president of the republic. 

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Officials say Egypt Bombed Libya Militias

Egypt may have deepened its involvement in the fight against Islamist militias in Libya on Wednesday, according to a new Associated Press report that Egyptian warplanes bombed the extremists' positions in Benghazi. 

The two officials said the use of the aircraft was part of an Egyptian-led campaign against the militant group that will eventually involve Libyan ground troops recently trained by Egyptian forces. 

The operation was requested by the internationally recognized Libyan administration based in Tobruk, the officials said, who interviewed with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. 

That elected administration was thrown out of the capital by rival militias allied with Islamic political factions. 

Libyan general Khalifa Hiftar is not leading the operation. Cairo will be dealing directly with a newly appointed Libyan chief of staff, who has visited Egypt several times recently. In a televised statement Tuesday, Hiftar said he will resign and transfer power to a young army leadership. 

Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni -- who took over in an interim capacity in March after Congress dismissed Ali Zeidan -- said that all troops involved in the battles in Benghazi are under the command of the new chief of staff, and are instructed to restore state institutions and combat terrorism. 

Al-Thinni met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his last visit to Egypt on Oct 9. During the visit, Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Sedki Sobhi said that Egypt is ready to offer "all support" to the Libyan army -- especially in "combating terrorism." 

Libyan lawmaker Tareq al-Jorushi confirmed that Egyptian warplanes are taking part in the ongoing operation in Benghazi, but that they were being flown by Libyan pilots. 

However, Egyptian presidential spokesman Alaa Youssef denied that Egyptian planes were striking targets in Libya in a statement posted to Egypt's state-run news agency. 

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she was not in a position to confirm the strikes. 

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Egypt Completes Restoration of Famed Coptic Church "The Hanging Church"

The St. Virgin Mary's Coptic Church, also known as the Hanging Church, is now fully restored.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab and the country's Coptic Christian pope, Tawadros II, attended Saturday's ceremony, which marked the conclusion of the project. 

The Hanging Church is one of Egypt's oldest churches. It rests above a gatehouse of a 2nd century Roman fortress, giving it its nickname "Hanging Church." It was the seat of the Coptic pope from the 7th to the 13th centuries. 

The Hanging Church lies in a complex housing one of the oldest synagogue and the first mosque built in Cairo. 

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2015 Nations Cup: Egypt overcome Botswana

Egypt won its first points of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with a 2-0 victory in Botswana.

Mohamed El Neny opened the scoring nine minutes after the break with a powerful shot from the edge of the field. Only six minutes later, Chelsea's Mohamed Salah scored again. 

Egypt is now on three points after two previous losses. Botswana remains at the bottom of the group with no points. 

Only the top two from each group are guaranteed a place at next year's finals in Morocco.

Senegal and Tunisia lead the way in Group G with seven points each after playing out a 0-0 draw in Dakar. Lesotho picked up their second point of the 2015 qualifiers as they held visiting Angola to a 0-0 draw in Group C.

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Egypt Makes Foreign Policy Comeback at Donor Conference

On Sunday, Egypt and Norway hosted a one-day international donor conference in Cairo to raise funds for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The conference has been hailed as a comeback for Egypt’s role in regional affairs, and analysts say it hints at the confidence of the country’s authorities.

Egypt brokered the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in late August. The conference was planned almost immediately afterward as a way to raise funds for the rebuilding of the destroyed Gaza Strip, which came under attack during the fighting this summer. 

During the conference on Sunday, Egypt’s president and former defense minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urged Israel to reach a lasting peace deal with the Palestinians—a condition that makes several countries wary of providing aid to Gaza in the absence of a peace treaty between the two sides.

“I call on the Israeli people and the government: now is the time to end the conflict... so that prosperity prevails, so that we all can have peace and security,” Sisi said in his opening remarks, Agence France-Presse reported.

The conference raised some $5.4 billion in funds for the effort. 

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Kerry, Sisi meet in Cairo to discuss Democracy

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in order to press the former defense minister and the second democratically-elected president to adopt stronger democratic reforms for his country.

The meeting comes a day after Kerry attended a donor conference in Cairo, which raised $5.4 billion in pledges to help the Palestinians and the Gaza Strip.

The meeting comes after a tumultuous year for the two countries, as the U.S. had suspended military funded to Egypt after its second revolution and the ousting of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. 

Kerry said that in past visits to Cairo, he had “candid conversations with President Sisi about the challenges both countries face.” Egypt still had to "prove to the world that the country is stable and open to business" as it seeks to restore its economy after years of political upheaval since the ousting of former strong-arm leader Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

Kerry told reporters on Sunday that U.S.-Egypt ties remained strong as the "government undertakes significant reforms and works towards economic transformation for all Egyptians." The top U.S. diplomat revealed that U.S. energy giant General Electric might be able to help Egypt improve its power grid. "We believe there are ways for us to be able to work together," Kerry insisted.

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National Geographic: Can Egypt's Crisis Clean Energy Gain Traction?

More challengingly yet, a history of shoddy, locally manufactured solar water heaters, many of which were sold to farmers in the 1990s, has tarred the industry's reputation in many Egyptians' eyes.

"Using the sun sounds nice, but it's even less reliable than electricity," said Hamid al-Amri, a supermarket manager in central Cairo whose store and apartment are both equipped with traditional water heaters.

Some newspapers appear to have launched a concerted campaign to bolster the image of renewable energy. By one analyst's reckoning, more than 400 articles have sung its praises since this summer, but no amount of publicity can allay concerns over costs.

In 2012, the Ministry of Tourism launched a scheme to outfit 100,000 Red Sea resort hotel rooms with solar water heaters, but two years later, the plan has yet to be properly implemented.

"It's because hotels don't have enough confidence in this new thing," said Emad Hassan, an energy adviser to tourism minister Hisham Zaazou. "They're reluctant to remove their old electric water heaters without assurance that they can recoup their money."

Some hope that a rise in electricity prices will create more of a market for solar water heaters. That would be significant, given that the traditional contraptions are responsible for roughly half of Egyptian households' electricity use, according to SEDA.

So far, the sun-powered devices have been used mostly in big hotels and eco-friendly buildings, because they tend to cost 60 to 70 percent more than electric water heaters, said Mohammed Farid, head of sales at the Cairo-based IMIC engineering firm. "But as electricity gets pricier," Farid said, "the one-off cost of the heater will be offset." His company imports components from Turkey, but he hopes to start manufacturing parts domestically if demand picks up.

It's a similar story in the western desert, where farmers in the distant oases lack access to the national grid and have traditionally relied on diesel-guzzling generators.

Omar Hosny, chief technical officer at KarmSolar, a 3-year-old Cairo-based solar start-up, said he has been swamped with inquiries since this summer. "Farmers are interested, and solar now works out cheaper than diesel, but it's still capital-intensive, so without any financial support, people out here can't afford the up-front costs," he said. The solar equipment is built to last for 25 years, while diesel-powered machinery has a shelf life of less than a decade.

KarmSolar's very existence and ability to attract top young local engineers is a measure of how far Egyptian renewable energy has come, but its projects are small—it operates eight solar-powered water wells, and it's still complicated for the company to work outside of isolated arid spots.

"It doesn't make sense for us to focus on most areas, because subsidies are still too high for solar in places attached to the grid," Hosny said.

Signs of Change

Elsewhere, however, renewable energy appears to be winning itself some powerful advocates.

The military, which occupies an outsize but undefined role in the Egyptian economy and operates a number of large factories, has begun to express an interest in solar technology.

"It's the future for Egypt and the army, and it is our responsibility to take the lead," said a senior official in the Ministry of Defense, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. He voiced a personal interest in equipping army bases with solar panels to make their power supply less vulnerable to attack from outside.

Even more significant is the interest from industry, which consumes most of Egypt's energy. The unreliable natural gas supply has persuaded an Italian cement firm to propose plans for a 120-megawatt wind farm near its plant in southern Egypt.

The stars certainly appear to be aligning in favor of renewable energy. Officials claim that new incentives to boost renewables on the grid will be proposed within weeks, while the prospect of further social unrest if the energy crisis isn't resolved soon appears to have motivated foot-dragging ministers.

It's possible, of course, that this sense of urgency will diminish as temperatures fall below 50°F (10°C) during the winter months, air conditioners are switched off, and energy consumption drops. It's also possible that renewable energy will find itself sidelined once more if new oil and gas deposits are developed in places where small-scale exploration continues.

But with fossil fuel and electricity prices set to increase even more as subsidies are eased, wind and solar might have a window of opportunity. "It is clear that you will have competitive renewable energy in most sectors in just a few years. I have no doubt," said Maged Mahmoud, head of projects and technical affairs for Egypt at theRegional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency(RECREEE), a nonprofit organization that advocates for clean energy in Arab countries.

"I see this trend not only in Egypt, but across North Africa and the Middle East. We're seeing dramatic changes," he said.

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