Russian, Egyptian troops to hold exercises

Cairo warned of growing curbs on society

CAIRO, Oct 12, (AP): Egypt says it will host Russian troops this month for joint military exercises at the coastal city of El-Alamein, the latest step in the two countries’ rapprochement.

The army says in a Tuesday statement that the training exercises, called “Guardians of Friendship,” will take place between Oct 15 and 26 and include “elite units” as well as vehicles from both sides.

Egypt has increased cooperation with Russia under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, the former army leader who overthrew his elected but divisive Islamist predecessor in 2013.

In May 2015, Cairo announced a $25 billion Russian loan for a joint project to build a nuclear power plant.

Relations soured, however, after militants brought down a Russian passenger plane in Sinai last October, killing all 224 on board.

Meanwhile, a United Nations human rights expert has criticized the Egyptian authorities’ crackdown on civil society, saying it is placing growing restrictions on non-government organizations and is harassing rights defenders.