Obama Lifts Freeze on Military Sales to Egypt

The United States will once again send arms to Egypt, lifting a freeze that was placed on the African nation in 2013 when then President Mohamed Morsi was ousted by a military coup, the White House announced Tuesday.

Washington will now allow 12 F-16 aircraft, 20 Harpoon missiles and 125 M1A1 tanks to be delivered to Egypt in order to “address the shared challenges to U.S. and Egyptian interests in an unstable region,” according to a White House press release.   

President Barack Obama also said he would continue the US$1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, which was partially suspended with the arms freeze. Starting in 2018, the aid will be divided into four categories: counterterrorism, border security, Sinai security and maritime security, reported the Hill.  

The U.S. and Egypt were close military partners for nearly 40 years, until 2011 when then President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power, ending his 30 year rule of the country. During that time, the U.S. gave over $40 billion worth of military aid to Egypt, according to the think tank Atlantic Council. This made Egypt Washington's second largest receiver of military aid, only behind Israel.  After the democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi was removed from office, Washington froze its military aid.  

Washington is renewing its military friendship with Egypt even though it has also reiterated its concern over human rights abuses in the country. Since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took office in 2013, hundreds of Egyptians have been sentenced to death as part of a crackdown on Islamists, and dozens of journalists have been imprisoned without charge or trial.

Watch teleSUR’s Imaginary Lines – Egypt 4 Years After Mubarak