Putin: Our Forces Stopped a Serious Threat to Russia in Syria

Russian military police monitor the international M4 road linking northeastern Syria to the Turkish border. AFP file photo
Russian military police monitor the international M4 road linking northeastern Syria to the Turkish border. AFP file photo
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Putin: Our Forces Stopped a Serious Threat to Russia in Syria

Russian military police monitor the international M4 road linking northeastern Syria to the Turkish border. AFP file photo
Russian military police monitor the international M4 road linking northeastern Syria to the Turkish border. AFP file photo

President Vladimir Putin has revealed a decisive Russian military attack last week to prevent Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions from advancing towards Neirab city.

The Russian military has rooted out well-equipped terrorist groups in Syria and prevented major threats to Russia, Putin said at a gala on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

The attack was followed by intense airstrikes on militant sites in Idlib province.

Putin’s statements came in line with accusations launched by the Kremlin against Turkey on its violation of the Sochi Agreement.

According to Russian sources, the military sought to prevent Ankara from trying to impose a new fait accompli by controlling sites that have been recently occupied by the regime.

Russia “will not allow the return of the previous situation, when Idlib province and its surrounding areas were under the control of Syrian factions,” the sources added.

Putin, however, revealed on Sunday another aim for his country’s intervention in Syria.

Russia's officers and soldiers have confidently confirmed their high professionalism and combat capabilities, the strength of spirit and their best qualities during the military operation in Syria, he said.

“They have wiped out large and well-equipped terrorist groups, thwarted major threats for our motherland at distant frontiers, and helped the Syrians save the sovereignty of their country,” he stressed, thanking all soldiers who have participated in the fight in Syria.

Putin’s remarks highlighted information circulated on Ankara supplying the Syrian factions with US mobile anti-air systems, which enabled them to shoot down two Syrian army helicopters last week.

The Ministry of Defense said these weapons could be used against Russian forces, slamming Ankara and Washington.

It said both sides “cannot predict how and when the terrorists will use these weapons.”

Putin affirmed Moscow’s intention to continue to enhance its military capabilities and provide its armed forces with the most advanced arms, including laser weapons, hypersonic systems and high-precision systems.



UN Food Agency: 1 in 5 Children Who Arrive in South Sudan from Sudan Are Malnourished

Sudanese move past trucks in Shendi, 190 kilometers (120 miles) from Khartoum, on September 21, 2023. (AFP)
Sudanese move past trucks in Shendi, 190 kilometers (120 miles) from Khartoum, on September 21, 2023. (AFP)
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UN Food Agency: 1 in 5 Children Who Arrive in South Sudan from Sudan Are Malnourished

Sudanese move past trucks in Shendi, 190 kilometers (120 miles) from Khartoum, on September 21, 2023. (AFP)
Sudanese move past trucks in Shendi, 190 kilometers (120 miles) from Khartoum, on September 21, 2023. (AFP)

At least one in five children arriving in South Sudan from Sudan are malnourished and more than 90% of arrivals haven’t eaten in days, the UN food agency said Tuesday.

The World Food Program said that nearly 300,000 people have arrived in South Sudan in the last five months — the majority of whom are South Sudanese. South Sudan plunged into civil war in 2013, forcing thousands of its citizens to flee to neighboring countries, including Sudan.

“We are seeing families leave one disaster for another as they flee danger in Sudan only to find despair in South Sudan,” says Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP’s country director in South Sudan.

Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Force paramilitary, or RSF, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, escalated into open warfare.

The WFP is appealing for additional funding of more than $120 million to meet humanitarian needs at the border.

The agency says with the start of the rainy season, there’s flooding that has contributed to the spread of disease.

“Those arriving today are in an even more vulnerable condition than families that fled in the early weeks of the conflict,” a WFP statement said.

The UN estimates that 5,000 people have been killed and more than 12,000 others wounded since the conflict in Sudan started in mid-April.

More than 5.2 million people have fled their homes, including more than 1 million who crossed into Sudan’s neighboring countries. Half of the country’s population — around 25 million people — needs humanitarian assistance, including about 6.3 million who are “one step away from famine,” according to UN humanitarian officials.


Int'l Efforts to Resolve Lebanon’s Crisis Stumble at Local Intransigence

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh last week. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh last week. (SPA)
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Int'l Efforts to Resolve Lebanon’s Crisis Stumble at Local Intransigence

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh last week. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in Riyadh last week. (SPA)

International efforts to resolve the presidential vacuum in Lebanon are stumbling at the intransigence of the local parties, which has so far prevented a tangible breakthrough.

French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to visit Beirut this month in continuation of Paris' efforts to help the country’s disputing parties to agree on a new president for the republic.

Eleven months after the expiry of President Michel Aoun’s term, Lebanon’s political parties are still unable to elect a successor.

The Hezbollah party and Amal Movement are insisting on nominating the head of the Marada movement, former Minister Suleiman Franjieh, while the opposition is asking Speaker Nabih Berri to call for successive electoral sessions that would ultimately end with the election of a new president.

Member of the Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam pointed to “continuous, diverse and extensive initiatives” to end the crisis, the latest of which has been from Qatar.

He added: “It would have been more beneficial for the internal parties to resort to the constitution and apply it instead of waiting for external initiatives.”

In a radio interview, Karam stressed that the Qatari initiative was not aimed at electing Army Commander General Joseph Aoun as president, adding that the Qataris were “open to all possibilities.”

Despite the multitude of initiatives, the issue is still being met with “internal intransigence” and “rigidity in positions,” according to parliamentary sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

They revealed that the internal political forces “did not show sufficient flexibility in dealing with these efforts.”

This assessment was confirmed by MP Ghassan Skaff, who said on X that the Qatari and French efforts will not succeed if they are not reciprocated by the Lebanese parties.


Iraq: Head of Mosul Diocese Calls for Int’l Probe into Wedding Hall Fire

People light candles in front of pictures of some victims of the wedding hall fire in Al-Hamdaniya. (Reuters)
People light candles in front of pictures of some victims of the wedding hall fire in Al-Hamdaniya. (Reuters)
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Iraq: Head of Mosul Diocese Calls for Int’l Probe into Wedding Hall Fire

People light candles in front of pictures of some victims of the wedding hall fire in Al-Hamdaniya. (Reuters)
People light candles in front of pictures of some victims of the wedding hall fire in Al-Hamdaniya. (Reuters)

The Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Benedictus Younan Hanno, described the results of an investigation announced by the Interior Ministry on a fire at a wedding hall in Al-Hamdaniya as “shameful,” questioning the measures taken by the government authorities in dismissing some heads of the directorates of the district.

Scores of panicked guests surged for the exits last week in the Haitham Royal Wedding Hall in the predominantly Christian area of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.

Iraq released the results of its probe on Sunday saying unsafe fireworks were the main reason that caused the deadly fire.

On Monday, the Nineveh Heath Department updated the death toll to 113, including 41 who have not been identified yet. It said 12 people who suffered severe burns were sent for treatment abroad and eight will follow.

In a press conference on Sunday evening, the archbishop rejected the outcome of the probe, saying: “There are things that don’t make sense in this investigation... I feel that there are political conspiracies behind these dismissals.”

Some reports indicated that most of the sacked employees belonged to the Christian community and other minorities. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that some “armed groups close to the Catholic Church fear that the fire will be used as a pretext to settle scores and dismiss local Christian officials in favor of their opponents from other sects and minorities.”

Hanno called for “an international investigation based on clear facts and strategy.” He continued: “We are with the state in expelling any corrupt manager with evidence and documents. But we give the authorities 24 hours to withdraw this decision and take matters seriously.”

The investigative committee formed by the federal authorities recommended the dismissal of the mayor of Hamdaniya, the town’s municipal director, the director of tourism classification in Nineveh Governorate, the director of Hamdaniya Electricity and the director of the Fire and Safety Directorate in the Civil Defense Directorate in Nineveh, as well as the referral of the director of civil defense in the governorate to a specialized committee.

On Saturday, the head of the investigation committee, Major General Saad Al-Dulaimi, said that the venue was overcrowded, and roofed with flammable sandwich panels and decorations made from flammable materials.

“The committee noticed that there were no emergency doors other than the small and insufficient service doors, and no safety supplies, which led to a large fire and heavy losses among the people in the hall,” he stated.


Israel Mulls De-Escalation Measures in Gaza

Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip enter from the Erez Crossing into Israel after it reopened on September 28. (AFP)
Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip enter from the Erez Crossing into Israel after it reopened on September 28. (AFP)
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Israel Mulls De-Escalation Measures in Gaza

Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip enter from the Erez Crossing into Israel after it reopened on September 28. (AFP)
Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip enter from the Erez Crossing into Israel after it reopened on September 28. (AFP)

Israel is considering a series of measures to de-escalate tension in the Gaza Strip and prevent a potential escalation.

Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that Israel is mulling increasing workers’ permits to Israel and easing the conditions for bringing goods into the Strip.

Meanwhile, Israel is holding talks with Qatar with the aim of transferring financial aid to “Hamas” to pay the salaries of its employees.

The government fears that any escalation in Gaza would undermine the ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia, according to the newspaper.

These measures are part of talks that kicked off two weeks ago in an attempt by mediators to de-escalate tension with Gaza after “Hamas” resumed protests near the border before it suspended them in parallel with a progress in talks.

Israel estimates that Hamas initiated the protests and mounted pressures in efforts to enhance the economic situation.

A Western diplomat who recently visited the Gaza Strip told the newspaper that these pressures ensue from the deteriorating economic distress in Gaza, the cut-off of international aid to residents, and the increasing challenges in the Strip.

The Israeli government is considering increasing entry permits for Gazan workers to Israel from 15,000 to 20,000 and easing the conditions for bringing goods into the Strip.

Haaretz said that the government components including the far-right wing approve that the current government is endorsing the policy of the former government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present this issue for discussion in the government and to promote these measures in order to maintain calm on the Palestinian lands amid ongoing talks with Saudi Arabia.

US President Joe Biden told Netanyahu during their meeting in New York last week that preventing violent escalation against the Palestinians would help the US administration strengthen communications with Saudi Arabia.


Tunisia Needs 550 Million Dinars to Reduce Disaster Risk

Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
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Tunisia Needs 550 Million Dinars to Reduce Disaster Risk

Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)

The Tunisian government on Monday said it needs 550 million dinars to implement its national strategy of Disaster Risk Reduction (2018-2030).

“In order to achieve this objective, Tunisia has already started implementing the Integrated Program for Disaster Resilience with a budget of 360 million dinars,” said Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani in a speech read out by Minister of the Environment, Leila Chikhaoui, at the opening of the Arab-African Conference on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction.

He said the program aims to strengthen institutional coordination for the management of climate and disaster risks through the creation of a national platform for disaster risk reduction and the installation of an early warning system.

The PM reiterated the importance of working together in solidarity to support international efforts to protect human lives, property and infrastructure.

In the past few weeks, the North African region was hit by natural disasters that have wreaked havoc and chaos in Libya and Morocco.

Thousands died in Derna, eastern Libya, when torrents and floods - caused by powerful Storm Daniel, swept away entire neighborhoods and bodies into the sea.

A devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Morocco last month, killing at least 3,000 people and leveling dozens of villages in a rugged mountainous area.

The Tunisian Minister of Environment and Local Development said her country will suffer annual losses of 427.8 million dinars ($138 million) if the national strategy for disaster risk reduction is not implemented.

“Tunisia is considered a country that is highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters due to its geographical location,” she stressed.


Algeria Says Niger Accepted Mediation Offer

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (dpa)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (dpa)
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Algeria Says Niger Accepted Mediation Offer

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (dpa)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (dpa)

Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf is preparing to visit Niamey, the capital of Niger, to discuss the arrangements for the Algerian mediation in the country’s crisis, according to Algeria’s foreign ministry.

Niger has accepted an Algerian offer to mediate in its political crisis, the ministry said.

Algeria received Niger's official notification of its acceptance of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's mediation initiative, the ministry added in a statement read out on national television.

Algiers said: "The acceptance of the Algerian initiative strengthens the prospect of a political solution to this crisis".

The mediation would "pave the way" towards a "peaceful" resolution of the crisis, it added, saying such an outcome is in the interest "of the entire region".

Tebboune said Attaf will be "visiting Niamey as soon as possible with the aim of launching discussions ... with all stakeholders".

On August 23, Attaf was mandated by Tebboune to go on a diplomatic tour to Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana, which form part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help find a solution to the crisis in Niger.

Following the coup in Niger, Algeria announced its rejection of any military intervention and stressed the necessity to return to legitimacy.

Algeria shares a 1,000-km southern land border with Niger. The border is considered a haven for extremist Islamist groups, drugs and weapons traffickers, and networks to smuggle illegal migrants to north Algeria to go from there to the European shores.

At the end of August, Algeria proposed a six-month transitional period led by a civilian to solve the crisis in Niger. However, Niger's junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani said the country will pursue a transition process which will last not more than three years.

The Algerian FM added that the two envoys to Algeria - whether the ambassador in Niamey or the Secretary General of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Lounes Magramane - didn’t meet the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum.

Attaf didn’t reveal if Bazoum would be part of the solution according to the mediation plan.

Professor of political science and international relations and Sahel affairs expert, Algerian Mohamed Abdelly, said Algeria’s plan to resolve the conflict can achieve unanimity among all parties.

Yet, he remarked that the six-month plan offers a short period that isn’t enough to resolve the current disputes.


Tunisia Rejects EU Financial Aid, Casting Doubt on an Immigration Deal 

Italian Coast Guard personnel prepare to tow boats used to carry migrants, near the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (LaPresse via AP))
Italian Coast Guard personnel prepare to tow boats used to carry migrants, near the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (LaPresse via AP))
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Tunisia Rejects EU Financial Aid, Casting Doubt on an Immigration Deal 

Italian Coast Guard personnel prepare to tow boats used to carry migrants, near the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (LaPresse via AP))
Italian Coast Guard personnel prepare to tow boats used to carry migrants, near the port of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (LaPresse via AP))

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago.

Saied's move could undermine the "strategic partnership" from July that includes measures on combating human traffickers and tightening borders, and which came during a sharp increase in boats heading to Europe from the North African nation.

The European Commission last month said it would disburse 127 million euros ($133 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of the deal to fight illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.

"Tunisia rejects what the EU announced, not because of the small amount ... but because the proposal conflicts with the memorandum of understanding signed in July," Saied said.

The July deal included a pledge of 1 billion euros in aid to Tunisia to help its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with the migration crisis.

The smaller amount announced by Europe 10 days ago, however, has frustrated Tunisian authorities struggling to improve public finances and raised fears among credit rating agencies that the government could default on foreign debts in coming months.

The dispute between the two parties has coincided with the arrival of record numbers of migrants from Tunisia and North Africa to Italy's island of Lampedusa.

Tunisia last week postponed a visit by a delegation from the European Commission to discuss the details of the migration agreement.

Last month it also denied the entry of five members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee for meetings over the political situation in Tunisia, saying it would not allow interference in its affairs.


UN Envoy Calls for a 'Unified Mechanism' to Lead Reconstruction of Libya's Flood-wrecked City

 A view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 30, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 30, 2023. (Reuters)
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UN Envoy Calls for a 'Unified Mechanism' to Lead Reconstruction of Libya's Flood-wrecked City

 A view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 30, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 30, 2023. (Reuters)

The United Nations’ top official in divided Libya on Monday called for a unified mechanism to lead the reconstruction of a coastal city that was wrecked by devastating floods last month.
UN Special Envoy for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily said in a statement that such a mechanism is required amid “unilateral and competing initiatives” by Libyan actors and institutions on the reconstruction of the Mediterranean city of Derna and other flood-impacted areas.
Devastating rainfall and floods, triggered by Mediterranean Storm Danial, hit parts of eastern Libya last month. The floods overwhelmed two depleted dams outside Derna on Sep. 11, causing massive waters that washed away residential buildings to the sea and left as much as one-third of Derna’s housing and infrastructure damaged, according to the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Government officials and aid agencies have given estimated death tolls ranging from more than 4,000 to over 11,000. The bodies of many of the people killed still are under rubble or in the Mediterranean, according to search teams.
As Libya remains divided, with two rival administrations claiming legitimacy and each wanting to oversee the reconstruction of Derna, Bathily called for “a unified national mechanism ... required to effectively and efficiently take forward the reconstruction efforts in the flood-affected areas”, The Associated Press said.
He urged Libyan rival authorities and their international partners to facilitate the establishment of the unified mechanism to ensure “transparency and accountability.”
Following the disaster, many in and outside Libya called for an international investigation, reflecting the deep public mistrust in state institutions. The two dams had not been maintained for decades despite repeated warnings that they were depleted.
Bathily’s call for a unified mechanism quickly gained support from the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Italy.
The five governments said in a joint statement that they “strongly support” a proposal to “deliver transparent and accountable relief and response to the reconstruction needs in the wake of the flood disaster.”
The oil-rich North African nation has been in chaos since 2011, when an Arab Spring uprising, backed by NATO, ousted Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. For most of the past decade, rival administrations have claimed authority to lead Libya.
The country’s east and south have been under the control of Gen. Khalifa Hafter and his self-styled Libyan National Army, which is allied with a parliament-confirmed government. A rival administration is based in the capital, Tripoli, and enjoys the support of most of the international community.


Two Syrian Soldiers Injured in Israeli Air Attack on Army Sites in Deir al Zor

Israeli previous strike on Syria (File- Reuters)
Israeli previous strike on Syria (File- Reuters)
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Two Syrian Soldiers Injured in Israeli Air Attack on Army Sites in Deir al Zor

Israeli previous strike on Syria (File- Reuters)
Israeli previous strike on Syria (File- Reuters)

Two soldiers were injured following an Israeli air attack on Syrian armed forces posts in the vicinity of Syria's eastern Deir al Zor province on Monday, Syrian state media said early on Tuesday, citing a military source.
"At about 23:50 p.m. on Oct. 2, the Israeli enemy launched an air attack on some of our armed forces’ sites in the vicinity of Deir al Zor, and the aggression led to the injury of two soldiers and some material losses," the source said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army, Reuters said.
Israel has for years been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions have been made homeless since protests against Assad in 2011 developed into a civil war that drew in foreign powers and left Syria carved into zones of control.


Egypt’s Sisi Confirms Candidacy for Presidential Elections

A school boy walks near an election campaign bus for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi adorned with his image, his slogan "long live Egypt", and C-shaped balloons, as Sisi's supporters prepare for a rally in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
A school boy walks near an election campaign bus for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi adorned with his image, his slogan "long live Egypt", and C-shaped balloons, as Sisi's supporters prepare for a rally in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Egypt’s Sisi Confirms Candidacy for Presidential Elections

A school boy walks near an election campaign bus for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi adorned with his image, his slogan "long live Egypt", and C-shaped balloons, as Sisi's supporters prepare for a rally in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on October 2, 2023. (AFP)
A school boy walks near an election campaign bus for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi adorned with his image, his slogan "long live Egypt", and C-shaped balloons, as Sisi's supporters prepare for a rally in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on October 2, 2023. (AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi confirmed on Monday that he will stand for a third term in office in an election in December.

"Just as I responded to the call of the Egyptians before, today I respond to their call again," Sisi said in a closing speech for a three-day event that promoted policies under his rule at a new capital being built in the desert outside Cairo.

"We are on the cusp of our new republic, which seeks to complete the process of the state's survival and rebuild it on the foundations of modernity and democracy," he said.

Sisi, a former army chief who has been president since 2014, had been widely expected to run again and secure a third term after constitutional amendments four years ago that would allow him to stay in office until 2030.

In recent weeks, supporters have mounted a campaign using billboards and public messages urging him to stand in the Dec. 10-12 poll.

Sisi came to power after the ouster of Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. He was announced winner of presidential elections in 2014 and 2018.

The election comes as Egypt is struggling with an economic crisis that has seen record inflation and a chronic foreign currency shortage.