Egypt to buy $ 4.5 billion from Rafale fighter jets from France Human Rights News

Human Rights Watch has condemned the deal as saying that Paris would only promote “relentless repression” under President el-Sisi in Egypt.

Egypt has signed a contract with France to buy 30 Rafale aircraft. The research website said it was worth $ 4.5 billion in a deal. The Egyptian defense ministry revealed the deal in a statement early Tuesday.

President Emmanuel Macron said in December that the sale of arms would not condition Egypt’s commitment to respecting human rights because it did not want to weaken Cairo’s ability to deal with violence in the region.

The Egyptian Ministry of Defense has said the deal will be funded through a loan that will be repaid in at least 10 years, but has not provided the value of the deal or any other information.

Citing secret documents, Disclose said the deal ended in late April and could be sealed on Tuesday when an Egyptian delegation arrives in Paris.

This deal would be a further boost for Dassault’s aircraft deal after the $ 3.01 million deal was finalized in January Rafales 18 jets for sale to Greece.

Qatar and India have also signed agreements with France, making the plane one of the country’s top defense industries.

The Egyptian deal also covers another $ 241 million in contracts for MBDA missile manufacturer and Safran Electronics & Defense equipment supplier.

The French ministries of finance, foreign affairs and the armed forces were not immediately available for comment.

Encouraging relentless repression

France was the main arms supplier to Egypt from 2013-2017, with 12 more options including the sale of 24 warplanes.

These contracts were dried up, however, including agreements in the advanced phase for more Rafale aircraft and warships.

Diplomats said this also had more to do with Cairo’s ability to repay long-term State guarantee loans than Paris’s concerns about the human rights situation in Egypt.

Benedicte Jeannerod, director of Human Rights Watch in France, strongly condemned the deal.

“Mega-weapons contract signed [Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-] While the Sisi government is leading the worst repression in Egypt in decades, eradicating the human rights community in the country and committing horrific violations on the pretext of the fight against terrorism, France is pushing for this relentless repression, “Jeannerod told Reuters.

He announced that the financing of the agreement would guarantee up to 85% by the French state with BNP Paribas SA, Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and CIC, which financed the original agreement by signing it again. Banks were not immediately available for comment.

Concerned about Libya’s political gaps, instability across the region, and threats from Egyptian armed groups, the two countries have tightened economic and military ties since el-Sisi came to power.

Human rights groups have accused Macron of blinding his eyes to what he says the el-Sisi government is escalating violations of freedom.

French officials say Paris is pursuing a policy that does not openly criticize the country for human rights, making it more private in each case.

With Egypt owing about $ 125 billion in foreign debt, its military leader is buying more weapons in addition to reassuring its image, prestige and Western allies.
France to sell 30 Egyptian aircraft deal $ 4.5 million deal report https://t.co/JVHZ21zqmd

Dr. Khalil al- ِ Anani Dr. Khalil al-Anani May 3, 2021

The agreement was also reached after a state of el-Sisi in Paris organized a massive conflict in Paris in December.

Egypt and France have had an increasingly close relationship under the secular authority of former army general el-Sisi, with common interests in the Middle East and a shared suspicion of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Macron adorned el-Sisi with the highest honor of France, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, during the visit.

Enraged activists asked him not to spread the red carpet, but to raise concerns about the 60,000 political prisoners in Egyptian prisons.

The French president has also ruled out condemning France’s deep defense and trade relations in Egypt with the issue of rights.

“In my opinion, it is more effective to pursue a policy of dialogue than a boycott policy that would reduce the effectiveness of one of our partners in the fight against terrorism and in favor of regional stability,” Macron said.