Sisi Amends Egypt’s Emergency Law over Coronavirus

A woman walks next to a wall painted in Arabic words reading ‘Long life to Egypt’ during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt April 26, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman walks next to a wall painted in Arabic words reading ‘Long life to Egypt’ during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt April 26, 2020. (Reuters)
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Sisi Amends Egypt’s Emergency Law over Coronavirus

A woman walks next to a wall painted in Arabic words reading ‘Long life to Egypt’ during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt April 26, 2020. (Reuters)
A woman walks next to a wall painted in Arabic words reading ‘Long life to Egypt’ during the holy month of Ramadan in Cairo, Egypt April 26, 2020. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Friday approved amendments to the country's state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The new amendments allow the president to take measures to contain the virus, such as suspending classes at schools and universities and quarantining those returning from abroad. They also include expanded powers to ban public and private meetings, protests, celebrations and other forms of assembly.

The amendments also allow military prosecutors to investigate incidents when army officers are tasked with law enforcement or when the president orders it. The country's chief civilian prosecutor would have the final decision on whether to bring matters to trial.

The amended law would also allow the president to postpone taxes and utility payments as well as provide economic support for affected sectors.

Parliament approved the measure last month.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, and the government extended it late last month for another three months. The law was originally passed to give the president broader powers to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

The government said the amendments were needed to address a legal “vacuum” revealed by the coronavirus outbreak. Egypt, with a population of 100 million, has reported at least 504 deaths among around 8,500 confirmed cases.

In response the pandemic, Egypt has halted international air travel and shuttered schools, universities, mosques, churches and archaeological sites, including the famed Giza pyramids. A curfew is in place from 9 pm to 6 am. The partial lockdown is to continue for another two weeks, until the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.



Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)

The Sudanese army said on Tuesday that it had completely pushed its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) out of Khartoum state, nearly two months after it regained control of the capital's center.

"Khartoum state is completely free of rebels," army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said in a statement, referring to the RSF.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a struggle for power.

Their battles spread from Khartoum to around the country. At least 20,000 people have been killed, but the real toll is probably far higher.

Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighboring countries. Half the population of 50 million faces hunger.