Egyptians slam Sisi for evading responsibility for economic woes

Egyptian social media users have slammed President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for saying he was not responsible for the difficult economic conditions suffered by citizens, including record high prices and extreme poverty.

“People have endured the difficult conditions that Egypt is going through, and the high prices for more than a year… This is a reality that must be recognised, but we are not the reason for it,” Al-Sisi said on Sunday.

“There are great burdens in every family as a result of the high cost of living, but the Egyptian people still have the awareness to bear these conditions,” he added.

READ: UN rights committee to examine Egypt’s human rights record

Commenting on Al-Sisi’s remarks, social media users accused him of driving the country to the verge of “famine”.

The president’s statements coincided with local media revealing several methods that Egyptians have resorted to in order to manage these difficult conditions.

Last Thursday, it was reported that three people, including a woman, robbed an Egyptian post office in New Damietta within seven minutes, stealing about 1.4 million Egyptian pounds (nearly $46,000).

Meanwhile in Dakahlia Governorate, a person seized 112,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,660) from a commercial store in the city of Manzala, and used the money to buy two calves, slaughter them and distribute their meat to the poor in his village.

READ: Egypt wants us to believe that the economic crisis is due to the war in Ukraine, but it isn’t