The United States is withholding military aid to Egypt over its allegedly questionable human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, APA has learnt on Wednesday.
$130m in military packages to Cairo has been withheld as the Joe Biden administration in Washington released $170m in aid to the North African country.
Human rights concerns in Egypt have cried foul, criticising the Biden administration’s decision to release some of the military funding to the country, saying Washington should have withheld the aid in its entirety.
They have described releasing partial funding of the Egyptian military a betrayal by the US government and a move which undermines the commitment to promoting the culture of human rights in the country.
However, the US state department said although it was partially providing aid to the military in Egypt, it would not hold back on expressing its displeasure about the country’s current human rights record under al-Sisi who has been severally accused of brutally cracking down on activists.
Washington said it will seek to engage Egyptian officials on the issue of human rights with a view to addressing “specific challenges”.
Despite reports of routine arrests of political activists President Sisi’s government has vehemently denied it was cracking down on activists and politicians.
WN/as/APA