The issue of Warraq Island has returned to the forefront again, and signs of tension have appeared between the island’s residents and the Egyptian authorities against the government’s move to end the “development work of the new urban community” on the island
The local media reported that groups of island residents protested against “displacement measures” from their land, in order to establish investment projects on the island.
The Egyptian authorities are trying to implement investment plans in Al-Warraq Island, which has an area of more than a thousand acres, located in the middle of the Nile River, crossing the governorates of Cairo and Qalyubia , and is administratively linked to the Gisa and Gisa governorates.
The investment plans that the Egyptian authorities intend to implement include the transfer of a large number of the island’s residents to other places, according to local media.
Magdy Hamdan, a member of the political bureau of the Conservative Party of Egypt, believes that the projects that the Egyptian government intends to establish on Warraq Island are “very good,” stressing that they are “in the interest of state and the citizen. “
Hamdan told the Al-Hurra website, “Egypt, like all countries, is eager to implement investment projects on vital sites, especially those on the Nile, so that the benefit returns to the homeland and for its citizens. “
He said the original owners of the land received compensation from the Egyptian government and left “As for those who are now, they have been living on the island for the ten years past.
He said, “These people want to receive compensation, as happened with the indigenous people, even though they have no right to do so, because they are not the owners of the land.”
A member of the Political Bureau of the Conservative Party pointed out that he was a candidate for the House of Representatives for the area in which the square that includes the island is located, stressing that “the owners got the double compensation land, as happened in the Maspero area.”
The crisis on Warraq Island, one of the 255 Nile islands, dates back to the year 2000 when the Egyptian government at the time decided to turn Warraq and Dahab islands into “public goods”.
The people received a court decision in 2002 ruling that they had the right to their land, as the state only owns a small area owned by the Egyptian Endowment Authority, attached to the Ministry the Endowment.
#Warraq_Island This is the only living place in Egypt, they say # We can We do everything, they take pictures of us to know how many we have. We will not be lectured and we will take care of it!! All residents of Cairo must stand in solidarity with the people of Warraq Island, support them, protect them, and stand with them against injustice and violence. pic.twitter.com/kImexbk8s9
– Egyptian Revolutionary Council (@ERC_egy) July 16, 2024
Egyptian political science professor, Essam Abdel Shafi, says that “the case of Warraq Island comes within the secret contracts that the Egyptian regime concludes with foreign companies, mainly Emirati some.”
Abdel Shafi told the Al-Hurra website, “The Egyptian system deals with investment issues related to certain population groups with security tools, and not through negotiation and compensation tools. “
The tension between the Egyptian authorities and the residents of Warraq Island is likely to escalate into a “bloody conflict based on the history and history of the oppressive regime,” while the residents adhere to their they have a right to the island.
The professor of political science agrees with Hamdan regarding compensation for landowners on the island, emphasizing that residents do not receive compensation, noting that it is being “a close follower of the matter for years.”
He said, “It is impossible for new groups to come and settle on Warraq Island, if the regime compensates the natives and they leave, because Egyptian security will be widely used to prevent on any new arrival.
In April 2018, the Egyptian Council of Ministers decided to transfer the independence of Warraq Island, which is home to approximately 100,000 people, to the New Urban Communities Authority (government) for its development and development in co- work with the Armed Forces Engineering Authority.
According to an official report by the Egyptian Council of Ministers at the time, the island, which has an area of ”one thousand acres” and was agricultural land, “was taken over more than 15 years back and was turned into a random residence. area.”
#Warraq_Island She confronts the police with all the conflicts and men and upholds her right to a decent life
May God protect her from Sisi and the upcoming decisions against Al Jazeera 😐 pic.twitter.com/23qbO7aGR7
— omer (@omerm2023) August 12, 2024
Abdel Shafi says that the issue of Warraq Island is similar to the issue of the development of the Bulaq Abu Al-Ala area and the slum file in Maspero, because “the regime classifies these areas as slums and then agrees with foreign companies to invest in them. “
He said, “The Egyptian regime used to agree with Emirati companies to acquire very important areas without managing the file with the residents and landowners in a friendly, negotiated way, which creates a situation of injustice and conflict.
Abdel Shafi pointed out that the Egyptian government manages these investment projects in a secret way, without the most transparent level, and far from state institutions.
He continued, saying, “These contracts and projects are carried out through institutions related to the military establishment, and in most cases nothing is known about them unless information about them is published in foreign country, or if there is a secret government circle. entered.”
On July 9, 2024, the Safwat Al-Qalioubi Group and the Emirati Investment Company KSH signed an agreement worth 24 billion Egyptian pounds ($500 million) to implement a real estate development project on the Nile River in Cairo, according to the official Middle Egyptian . Eastern News Agency.
The group said the deal includes the construction of 3 residential and commercial towers and a 5-star hotel in an area overlooking Warraq Island, north of the capital city centre, on an area of 20,000 square meters.
The group said that KSH is linked to the private sector of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan and is a real estate company owned by members of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi.
Hamdan pointed out that investment projects on Warraq Island are supported because they are in the interest of the country, stressing that “there is no Egyptian opposition member at home who has opposed the project.” “
He said, “Groups outside Egypt are the ones who oppose such good projects, but those on the ground see in them a great benefit for the citizen and the country, and that they will large investments and become a tourist attraction. “
The same spokesman pointed out that the Egyptian government is dealing with this file very impartially and professionally, so that it does not lead to current or future damage, saying, “I have received information to confirm meetings with some activists to complete the compensation case.
For his part, Abdel Shafi expected that “the regime will use information to promote the introduction of Egyptian investors to investment projects on Warraq Island, and wave the compensation ticket to avoid tensions , but nevertheless the issue is likely to arise. “
2024-08-13 03:46:02
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