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Egypt continues to demolish residential neighbourhoods in Cairo

February 1, 2022 at 11:40 am

Egypt’s capital Cairo, on January 13, 2022 [AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images]

Egyptian authorities are continuing to demolish residential neighbourhoods in Cairo under the pretext of development.

Most recently they have evacuated residents from the Al-Jayara, Hosh Al-Ghajar, Al-Sukar and Al-Lemon neighbourhoods in Old Cairo so that they can build a tourism, culture and entertainment project, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The project will include markets, theatres, cinemas and hotels and span 12.5 acres.

Other parts of the capital city are undergoing similar cycles of displacement and gentrification, or the expulsion of poor residents so that rich investors can take over the land.

Last month Egyptian authorities prepared to demolish the sixth and seventh districts of Nasr City, a suburb of Cairo, which critics said would lead to the displacement of thousands of people from their homes.

The initial inventory said that 4,500 housing units and shops would be vacated here to build new residential towers similar to the Maspero Triangle downtown, state-run media announced.

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Residents at the time complained that they had not been consulted about the plans and were being offered alternative apartments and shops 25 kilometres away from the sixth district in a poorer area.

Four Egyptian political parties have denounced the enforced displacement of residents in these two districts and expressed solidarity with residents who refused to leave their homes.

In 2017 Al-Warraq Island in Egypt hit the headlines after police and army forces removed buildings that were allegedly unlicensed and built illegally on state-owned land.

Residents protested against the demolition of their homes and policemen fired tear gas and bullets into the demonstrations. The island was considered prime real estate by the government and reports said it planned to build skyscrapers and new building complexes.

A year later roughly 5,500 families were evicted from the Maspero district in Cairo and offered very little compensation so the government could make use of the land to build prime real estate.

It is also happening outside the capital; state land in Marsa Matruh on Egypt’s northern coast has been demolished and the land sold off to private bidders.

Thousands of houses have been demolished in North Sinai, particularly along the border with Gaza.