US military aid to Egypt under scrutiny on uprising’s anniversary
The Donald Trump administration has taken a harder line on military assistance to Egypt as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi moves away from Washington.
US President Donald Trump came into office promising to improve relations with Egypt, praising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the campaign trail and inviting the former military leader to the White House just months after taking office.
But after more than a year of cajoling Egypt to stop cracking down on civil society groups, the White House has been taking a harder line ahead of the seventh anniversary of the Jan. 25, 2011, uprising that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak. The State Department suspended more than $200 million in military aid in September and has called out Cairo’s human rights violations.
