Sisi hands over Nile islands to Egyptian military, raising controversy

Some Egyptians were outraged over the president’s decision to hand over the ownership of 37 islands to the army, especially since most of these islands are located on the Nile River and considered nature reserves.
An aerial view shows a small island in the Lake Nasser reservoir formed by the Nile River, about 12 kilometers (7 miles) south of the High Dam near the city of Aswan, southern Egypt, Jan. 2, 2021.
An aerial view shows a small island in the Lake Nasser reservoir formed by the Nile River, about 12 kilometers (7 miles) south of the High Dam near the city of Aswan, southern Egypt, Jan. 2, 2021. - Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images
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A correspondent in Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree Jan. 25, handing over ownership of 37 islands to the Egyptian armed forces. The move includes 36 islands in the Nile River and one island off the Mediterranean coast.

According to the Egyptian official gazette, the decree and a portfolio of related documents shall detail the dimensions and areas of those islands, and the decree will be deposited with the competent real estate registration office without fees. The deposition will have the legal effects of an official proclamation.

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