Turkey Orders Muslim Brotherhood TV Channels to Stop Attacking Egypt

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a symbolic funeral ceremony for former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, June 18, 2019, at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a symbolic funeral ceremony for former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, June 18, 2019, at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. (AFP)
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Turkey Orders Muslim Brotherhood TV Channels to Stop Attacking Egypt

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a symbolic funeral ceremony for former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, June 18, 2019, at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a symbolic funeral ceremony for former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, June 18, 2019, at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. (AFP)

Turkish authorities have ordered Istanbul-based TV channels affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood to stop airing criticism and incitement leveled against Egypt and Gulf states immediately.

The move represents the first real step taken by Ankara towards improving ties with Egypt after it had repeatedly claimed to have a desire to turn over a new leaf in its relationship with the African country.

The dispute between Ankara and Cairo began after the Egyptian army ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, who was an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Egypt later recognized the group as an extremist organization which caused multiple Muslim Brotherhood members and their supporters to flee to Turkey after their activities were banned in the country.

Turkey issued an order for three Muslim Brotherhood channels (El Sharq TV, Watan TV, Mekameleen) to immediately stop airing political shows critical of Egypt and to only air non-political shows and series.

Penalties will be imposed on those who defy the order; this includes permanently closing down the TV stations.

Ayman Nour, head of El Sharq TV, confirmed that Turkish officials demanded that the channels tone down their rhetoric as Turkey seeks warmer ties with Egypt.

In a tweet, Nour ruled out Turkish authorities shutting down any channel but acknowledged that the media outlets were under pressure to dim criticism of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s rule.

Nour described the order from Turkish authorities as a “crisis” that he had hope for the channels to overcome.

He added that Ankara was now “focused on media conduct in the context of these latest exchanges between Turkey and Egypt.”

Turkish officials demanded that stations and media outlets “commit to respecting the charters of journalistic ethics.”

Yasin Aktay, an adviser to Erdogan, said the move said that move by Turkish authorities followed a recognition that the stations were broadcasting inappropriate political content that contradicts journalistic ethics.

Aktay claimed that the Turkish authorities were unaware of the content being spread by the networks until they were notified by the Egyptian government.

He also denied Ankara was planning to expel or hand over Egyptian journalists and political opponents to Cairo.

“Turkey will not arrest anyone or hand anyone over,” Aktay said on social media.

Egypt’s Minister of Information Osama Heikal said he welcomed news of Turkey’s decision to ban anti-Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood channels, referring to it as “a good initiative.”

Heikal said the decision “creates an appropriate atmosphere for discussing controversial issues.”

And he said Egypt’s position was constant and worked to “develop relations with everyone according to common interests."



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.