Evictions From Desirable Cairo Island

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Hafiz
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Evictions From Desirable Cairo Island

Post by Hafiz »

Land ownership and its development has been an easy source of wealth for some Egyptians. It beats the hell out of hard work, manufacturing, agriculture, export or years spent developing something new – its something for nothing – just get an official to rezone it and the taxpayer to fund the infrastructure and you are set.

The 90,000 (?) poor residents of Gazirat Warraq (North of Zamalek in Cairo 1300 /1453acres) who don’t even have a bridge are finding out that previous allegiance to the brothers wasn’t a good investment in their future and are being evicted with prejudice. https://mideasti.blogspot.com.au/2012/0 ... q-and.html

It’s the blue island in the top of this map:
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The government wants the island, allegedly for some Emeriti investors. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egyp ... SKBN1A10VS

People have been killed during the eviction by the security services and things seem to have got out of hand at their funeral.
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The residents are referred to by the government as squatters. Here is a photograph so you be the judge:
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Interestingly the residents date back to those ‘dispersed’ by the 1902 Awsan dam so I guess they know a bit about being pushed around and kicked out. http://www.thepolisblog.org/2016/04/nile-islands.html

The residents are really poor and have neither running water nor sewerage. http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/f ... 1014603429

Planning for the Island is chaotic. A 1996 decree said it was a natural protectorate from which the locals should be cleared and its natural status protected by not building a bridge to the shore. On the other hand the Cairo 2050 (trite even by Egyptian standards) and Giza 2030 plans say it should be a high end residential compound (easy to defend in times of trouble) connected by bridges to both shores.

The locals say that the government contradicts itself and has acceded to their occupation by building ‘three public schools, a police unit, a water station, a post office and is equipped with official electricity meters, a common array of basic services to informal areas that serve as a tacit acknowledgement from the state of their existence.’ They also claim, very interestingly, that ‘Most island landowners acquired their property by the acknowledged practice of “hands putting” (wad’ yad), whereby they are given ownership of a piece of land after residing on it undisputed for 15 years. Many have have their land ownership officially registered through this mechanism.’ which sounds a bit like the English common law concept of adverse possession. https://www.madamasr.com/en/2017/07/16/ ... -the-nile/. I wonder whether Luxor locals have pursued this option.

Clearly they are optimistic to think that the state is subject to the law or the courts.

Very significantly for those who have had their Luxor Nile-side properties bulldozed, urban researcher Ahmed Zaazaa states in the above article that the 1988 decrees now used to clear banksides and islands all over Egypt were never activated or formally proclaimed. He also points out that, just for Giza, the claimed ’30 meter rule’ has not prevented the building of ‘27 clubs of government bodies and five government institutions’ within 30 meters of the Nile. Al Ahram reports that over 28,000 Nile-side structures have been removed – but obviously not in Giza. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... never.aspx

Nevertheless its attractive, central and very, very valuable and only some poor people are standing in the way of an Emeriti making a lot of money. What’s all the fuss.

I expect that this is only the start and that Geziarta/Gezira el Dahan/Dahab Island (there is another with a similar name in the delta), strategically located opposite Maadi and similarly pretty, impoverished, valuable and with no bridge etc will soon meet the same fate. https://egyptianstreets.com/2013/09/01/ ... ab-island/. There have been earlier attempts, led personally by Gamal Mubarak, to turn it into an ‘investment area’ but the 20,000 locals, mainly Christian, resisted. It looks like this, and is about 500 acres:
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Another photograph:
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Another desirable Cairo island Jazīrat al Qurşāyah (west by south west of Coptic Cairo/Fustat and 130 acres)‘belonging’ to the army was the cause of three ‘squatter’ deaths in 2012 (following confrontations that went back to 2007) when the army fired on a crowd that resisted eviction. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... ot-of-land. Because it was military ‘property’ a dozen protestors were subsequently imprisoned by a military tribunal. http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/3408 ... from-Libya. This happened even though the residents had previously obtained a final court ruling in 2010 that they had a right to possession following 80 years residency. https://www.madamasr.com/en/2013/01/20/ ... ali-eddin/. Its attractive and looks like this:
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The Czar in charge of all land reclamation since early 2016 is former prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab/Mehleb. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... state.aspx. The western press have described him as a Mubarak crony and personally close to the family and this seems to be confirmed during his time as Prime Minister when he increased the already high numbers of Mubarak types in the Cabinet. He should know a deal about land because as Housing Minister, and as a previous ‘construction magnate’ he either sat on or presided over (or worse) quite a lot of land grants to connected individuals. Looks like poacher being made game keeper but others have been more harsh and published that he “is a former land and housing minister, which means he has dealt with matters central to the military's domestic financial land assets.” http://www.smh.com.au/world/exmubarak-c ... hvdpp.html. What is clear is that whilst PM his government was so corrupt that even state media complained - immediately following which he was removed. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/egypt-s-go ... -1.3225933

There is also the long brewing dispute over the 60,000 or so Coptic ‘squatters’ in ‘garbage city’ at Mansheya Nasir/Nasr, roughly several hundred meters east of al Azhar Park, and over 500,000 squatters allegedly living in the ‘City of the Dead’ – which is very central real estate.

I guess with 4 million ‘squatters’ in Cairo (University College, London thinks the number might be as high as 7 million https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/Glob ... /Cairo.pdf ) there is a lot of land to be ‘cleansed’ and made for development. Bit odd that the re-use of ‘squatter’ land never includes low-cost housing, but who could make quick money out of that?

BTW – For those who yearn for the return of Mubarak – Who said his people ever left the room?

In addition, after years of inaction the Maspero Triangle (34 hectares), north of the old museum and on the Nile, seems about to be cleansed of its ‘squatters’ to implement Lord Foster’s plan for an ‘authentic inner urban middle class historical precinct’. http://www.jackshenker.net/egypt/norman ... ere-d.html


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Re: Evictions From Desirable Cairo Island

Post by A-Four »

Hafiz wrote: In addition, after years of inaction the Maspero Triangle l
Well, talking about Triangles in Egypt, there is a very interesting situation at the opposite end of the country,............and I do mean end.

If you travel south by the coast road from Marsa Alam for about 250 kilometres, you come to the border town of Al Shalateen which is within what is called the Hala'ib Triangle. There has always been trouble with regards which country owns what here. During the recent Sudan Civil War, Egypt has quietly been using its 'influence', in 'helping' the local nomadic tribes people there to understand the situation. It is paying each family 70LE per month, and a further 3LE for each child, for them to stay put within 'the triangle'.

For those who love to study Google maps, you will perhaps notice certain unfinished roads, that seem to go to no where,........well, no where for now. I can assure all on here we are not looking at another Marsa Alum. It all looks very interesting, I'm sure others who find this interesting, will agree.
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