The US State Department has agreed to a potential $5 billion arms sale to Egypt Military news

Despite ongoing concerns about the Egyptian government’s human rights abuses, large sales may take place.

The United States State Department has approved more than $5 billion in arms sales to Egypt.

The State Department told Congress on Friday that it had approved $4.69 billion worth of equipment sales for 555 US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, $630 million worth of Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and $30 million worth of precision-guided missiles to Egypt. ammunition.

In a statement that day, he said the sale would support US “foreign policy and national security” by helping to improve the security of a “key” non-NATO ally that has served as an important strategic partner in the Middle East.

Egypt and the US have been working increasingly closely since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, with Cairo playing a role in the ceasefire talks.

The accords were reached despite ongoing concerns in Washington about the Egyptian government’s poor human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

The rights organization Amnesty estimates that there are currently around 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt, including British-Egyptian activists. Excellent Abdul-FattahHe was arrested on charges of “spreading false news” after sharing a post on Facebook about alleged police brutality.

Egypt has pardoned hundreds of political prisoners in the last two years. But rights groups said many were arrested at least three times during the same period.

Large recipient of US aid

US President Joe Biden took office in 2021 promising a tougher stance on Egypt over human rights concerns, but his administration has approved several arms deals.

In 2022, his administration approved sale 12 Super Hercules C-130 transport aircraft and an air defense radar system to Egypt at a total cost of $2.5 billion.

The State Department’s notification to Congress of the latest potential sale does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.

The statement stated that the proposed sale “will not change the basic military balance in the region” and that it will take up to ten years to implement operations related to Abrams tanks.

The US Congress can still block the sale, but such attempts usually fail.

Cairo has been one of the largest recipients of US security aid since the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. The biggest recipient is Israel.