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Syrian Security Forces Arrest 12 Army Officers over Makhlouf Ties

Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf. (AFP file photo)
Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf. (AFP file photo)
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Syrian Security Forces Arrest 12 Army Officers over Makhlouf Ties

Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf. (AFP file photo)
Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf. (AFP file photo)

Syrian security services have arrested 12 officers and regime forces accused of having ties to business tycoon Rami Makhlouf, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s cousin. This took place while another eight that have been arrested under the same charges were released.

“The large-scale campaign by the regime’s intelligence service is still underway, since it has been launched with the purpose of arresting several regime officers and soldiers, as well as employees working for Rami Makhlouf,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in one of its reports.

According to Observatory statistics, regime security services have arrested at least 51 regime officers and soldiers since the start of the campaign in mid-April.

They were arrested for “dealing with foreign bodies and embezzling state funds”.

Reliable sources have informed the Observatory that regime intelligence arrested nine ex-fighters of the “Al-Bostan Association”. This brings to 85 the number of managers, employees and ex-fighters arrested for their connection to Makhlouf’s businesses. They were arrested in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Latakia and Tartus.

Earlier this week, Makhlouf revealed that he had set up a web of offshore front companies to help Assad evade Western sanctions.

In a social media post blasting the government for investigating his business empire, he said authorities are expelling all investors save for warlords who have made their fortune exploiting the nine-year war in Syria.

One of Syria's richest and most powerful businessmen, Makhlouf said security forces were now targeting Cham Holding, the centerpiece of a vast business portfolio much of which has been seized by the cash-strapped government.

The former Assad loyalist said security forces were pursuing contracts signed by the company on suspicion he had embezzled funds abroad.

"They fabricated our embezzlement of funds and transferring it to our accounts abroad ... Stop these unjust claims and read well the contracts," Makhlouf said in a Facebook post.

"These companies' role and aim is to circumvent [Western] sanctions on Cham Holding."

Makhlouf, who has helped bankroll the ruling family and its supporters, brought in 70 investors nearly 15 years ago to set up Cham Holding. It is the largest Syrian company by capital and has a monopoly on key property developments.

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Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
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Egypt Strengthens Cooperation with Africa to Tackle Water Challenges

Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)
Egypt affirms that water issues are a shared challenge growing more severe due to climate change (Photo by Abdel Fattah Farag)

Egypt is continuing to strengthen its cooperation with African nations to confront the pressing challenges of water and food security.

“Water issues are a shared challenge that grows more severe due to climate change and resource scarcity, especially given Egypt’s near-total dependence on Nile water,” Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Hani Sewilam said, according to an official statement by the Egyptian Cabinet on Friday.

Speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister during a celebration at the Djibouti Embassy in Cairo marking Djibouti’s 48th independence anniversary, Sewilam emphasized that cross-border cooperation, rooted in principles of international law, is the optimal path to ensure sustainable water resources.

Egypt frequently raises the issue of water security, particularly amid the ongoing crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia has built on the main tributary of the Nile since 2011 to generate electricity. Egypt and Sudan fear it will impact their water shares.

Ambassador Salah Halima, former Assistant Foreign Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs, stressed that water security is closely linked to river management and dam operations. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt consistently underscores the importance of respecting international laws and agreements on managing water resources and criticized Ethiopia’s unilateral actions to impose a de facto situation regarding the dam.

Halima added that achieving water security requires cooperation among states in managing water resources and constructing dams, noting that Egypt has valuable experience African nations can benefit from.

Egypt faces a water deficit estimated at 30 billion cubic meters annually. Its share of Nile water amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters per year, while consumption exceeds 85 billion cubic meters. The shortfall is covered by groundwater extraction, seawater desalination projects, and recycling agricultural drainage water, according to the Ministry of Irrigation.

On Friday, Sewilam highlighted the longstanding ties between Egypt and Djibouti as an example of cooperation amid complex regional and global challenges requiring greater unity and shared vision. He noted that the regional and international context demands an understanding of the magnitude of challenges, ranging from security and peace to sustainable development and socio-economic stability, especially in the Arab and African regions.

Egypt is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Djibouti’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources to cooperate in fields such as integrated water resources management, desalination technologies, groundwater recharge, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and joint research.

In parallel, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to working with African countries to develop more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural value chains. Speaking during FAO meetings in Rome, he said that strengthening these chains is central to food security, economic growth, and job creation, particularly in rural areas. Farouk also discussed promoting Egyptian investment in Africa to boost agricultural development and food security across the continent.