Sisi warns defaming army is high treason
el alamein (egypt) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi told media on Thursday they should prevent defamation of the military, which he warned would be seen as “high treason” amid a campaign to crush Sinai militants.
Sisi’s comments at a ceremony to inaugurate the “New El Alamein” city in western Egypt come after complaints by authorities against foreign and local media coverage of the campaign in Sinai.
But Sisi acknowledged that authorities should allow more media access to front lines to “see how (soldiers and policemen) are dying”. “It is not appropriate that they be defamed and we will not allow it,” he said.
“I hope the media helps us confront that without me repeating this demand,” he said.
“This defamation will be met with the law. It constitutes, for me, high treason,” he added.
Access for journalists has been restricted in the Sinai Peninsula, where the military and police launched a campaign to defeat Daesh militants on February 9.
The military says it has killed scores of fighters in the offensive, and at least seven soldiers have been killed.
Sisi comments come after human rights group Amnesty International said the military has used banned cluster bombs in the campaign.
Some media also reported that the operations in Sinai had caused food shortages for residents of the northern part of the peninsula and civilians have been harmed by stray strikes.
A military official said that the army has provided food and supplies to the residents.
“The armed forces have distributed goods to the residents... in coordination with the ministry of supply and (North Sinai) governorate has supplied them with all goods in short supply,” he said. —