Egyptian police dispersed a protest in Cairo while mounting a huge show of force in the centre and other cities after calls to demonstrate against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Egypt’s president told supporters not to worry about calls for further protests against his rule on Friday, as security forces tightened controls in the center of the capital and closed off entrances to Tahrir Square.
Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said allegations of corruption within the army and government were “lies and slander,” in his first public response to graft accusations that have gone viral online.
The latest poverty figures come as Egypt prepares to receive the final $2 billion tranche of a $12 billion loan package negotiated with the IMF in 2016 in return for a strict austerity programme.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo powerful Sudanese military General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo on Monday, whose forces have been accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown on protesters.