Skip to main content

Street vendors expelled from downtown Cairo

Authorities in Egypt are clamping down on street vendors, imposing fines and expelling them to spaces outside the main commercial areas in cities.
A  street vendor sells bananas close to a market in Cairo, December 30, 2014. REUTERS /Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR4JMWK

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities began a steady advance on the streets of downtown Cairo last August, evacuating unauthorized street vendors and retaking main arteries and squares. The move is part of a project spearheaded by the Cairo governorate to clear the city from street vendors by enforcing the rule of law and displacing thousands.

“There are 5 [million] or 6 million street vendors in Egypt, around 3 million are in Cairo,” Mohamed Abdallah, the head of the independent national syndicate for street vendors of west Cairo, told Al-Monitor.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.