Egypt Security Sector Report
This week, Egypt finds itself at the crossroads of regional collapse and internal repression. As the Gaza war continues to reshape alliances and fuel unrest, Cairo and its allies have cracked down harshly on cross-border solidarity with Palestinians, shutting down two major convoys and subjecting participants to arrests, surveillance, and violence. Meanwhile, the specter of full-blown regional war between Israel and Iran looms large, disrupting energy supplies, tourism, and diplomatic initiatives. On the home front, the regime tightens its grip—from syndicates to prisons—while accelerating the selloff of public assets to Gulf monarchies under the guise of “development.” Amid death sentences abroad, detainee deaths at home, and a collapsing gender equality record, the picture is clear: Sisi’s Egypt is cracking at the seams, held together only by repression, foreign cash, and the threat of force.
📁 Egypt, Libya Crack Down on Gaza Solidarity Convoys
Egyptian and Libyan authorities have forcibly shut down two international solidarity convoys bound for Gaza.
The Sumud Caravan, comprising over 1,500 North African participants, was halted in eastern Libya by the Libyan National Army—a militia run by the warlord Khalifa Haftar and his family—after Cairo denied them passage to Rafah. Participants were subjected to surveillance, arrests, and communications blackouts; some were assaulted or left without access to water or electricity for days.
Simultaneously, in Egypt, hundreds of foreign activists from the Global March to Gaza were arrested and deported. Several were detained in Cairo, while others were intercepted en route to Ismailia. Participants reported strip searches, beatings, and humiliating conditions, including detention in iron cages and denial of bathroom access.
The coordinators of the Global March called on all participants to leave Egypt following the crackdown.