New Violent Attack on Warraq Island: Ongoing Policy of Forced Evictions and Intimidation of Residents
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the repeated assaults targeting Warraq Island, which escalated on the evening of Saturday, April 12, 2025, with the recording of a new and serious violation by police forces against residents.
According to documented testimonies from island residents, the police began their assault on Saturday afternoon, continuing until midnight. They stormed the island from the Rod El Farag axis (near the toll gate), heavily using tear gas canisters and throwing stones at residents’ homes and at people in the streets. This resulted in dozens of cases of suffocation and physical injuries, including among children and the elderly, in addition to several arrests.
This attack comes only 17 days after the events of March 26, which witnessed a similar assault by the police that led to the arrest of 12 island residents, along with four supporters from the Shubra area. At that time, residents staged a sit-in demanding the release of their loved ones, only for the island to be met with a new attack—confirming the authorities’ insistence on continuing policies of repression and intimidation.
In this context, the Commission recalls the meeting of the Warraq Island Families Council, held on October 11, 2024, during which residents reaffirmed their legitimate right to remain on their land and their categorical rejection of all forms of forced eviction. They also demanded the lifting of the siege imposed on the island since 2017, the resumption of ferry movement in a regular manner, and the provision of adequate medical treatment for the injured.
Although residents have repeatedly stated that they do not reject the principle of developing the island, they demand that such development occur through consultation with them and guarantee their right to return after the development process—not through forced displacement. The state’s response has been more violence and restrictions, including blocking the entry of construction materials, imposing limitations on freedom of movement, and ongoing security harassment.
Since July 2017, Warraq Island has been under continuous security siege, following statements by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in which he described the residents’ presence on the island as an “encroachment on state property.” This was followed by a series of repeated police raids and assaults, during which one resident was killed, and dozens were arrested, as part of a plan aiming to forcibly evacuate the population in favor of constructing a fourth-generation city.
The Commission emphasizes that what is happening in Warraq constitutes a blatant violation of Article 63 of the Egyptian Constitution, which considers forced displacement a crime that does not expire over time. It also violates Egypt’s international obligations—particularly Article 11(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which guarantees the right of every individual to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing.
The Commission’s position is also based on General Comment No. 7 of 1997, issued by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which stresses the need to avoid resorting to forced evictions, to ensure that alternatives are available in consultation with those affected, and to provide legal remedies and fair compensation. It also affirms the necessity of ensuring that individuals are not rendered homeless or have their basic rights violated because of any eviction process.
Accordingly, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms:
- Strongly condemns the latest assaults on the residents of Warraq Island and denounces the excessive and unjustified use of force against unarmed civilians.
- Calls for the immediate release of all detainees in connection with the Warraq events and an end to all forms of security harassment against residents and supporters.
- Urges the initiation of an independent and transparent investigation into the violations of April 12 and those that preceded it, and the accountability of all those responsible for perpetrating or covering up such abuses.
- Calls on the Egyptian state to engage in serious dialogue with the island’s residents that guarantees their rights to housing and dignity, and to halt all projects based on forced eviction.
- Appeals to local and international human rights organizations, as well as all elements of civil society, to stand in solidarity with the residents of Warraq Island and work collectively to stop these repressive policies that threaten their security and stability.
The continued nature of these violations not only reflects a flagrant disregard for citizens’ rights, but also reveals a systematic intent to empty the island of its residents in favor of projects that fail to respect people’s right to the city, or their right to determine the future of their communities—an approach that contravenes the principles of social justice, the right to development, and human dignity.
