Sisi: Egypt on ‘the right track’ 6 years after uprising

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi marked the sixth year anniversary of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak with a televised speech praising Egyptian endurance through hardships.

Commemorating the 2011 revolution, Al-Sisi went on to praise the Egyptian youth for “preserving the country from destruction.”

“History will do justice to this generation that has endured beyond normal human capacity…with courage and determination, bearing all hardships,” Al-Sisi said in the speech.

Sisi went on to state that recent developments in Egypt in the last six years “makes it clear that we are moving on the right track,” before calling on youth activists, who were the driving force behind mass protests in 2011, to work together towards the country’s future.

Referring to the 2011 revolution that formed a major part of the Arab Spring as a “turning point” in Egyptian history, Sisi explained how initial hopes were met with “unprecedented frustration” before a military coup in 2013 that he led against former President Mohammad Morsi allowed the revolution to be taken back “by the people.”

Yesterday marked six years when protesters began to gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding an end to Mubarak’s 30-year rule as the Arab Spring gained momentum across the Middle East and North Africa.

Al-Sisi’s speech is greatly at odds with public and international perception of his rule since 2013 which has been defined by an increase in crackdowns on freedoms and opposition as well as Egypt’s dwindling economy. There has also been a notable increase in violence since 2013’s coup by an insurgency that has regularly targeted and killed soldiers.

A number of protests took place yesterday across the country where protesters renewed calls for Al-Sisi to step down. In Cairo, protesters held up posters of ousted president Morsi and chanted slogans against Al-Sisi.

Prominent political figures took to social media to honour the six years since the uprising by calling for the thousands of political prisoners currently languishing in prison to be released and for the 800 people killed during the 18 days of unrest to be remembered.