Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here is a look at the life of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Personal
Birth date: November 19, 1954
Birth place: Cairo, Egypt
Birth name: Abdel Fattah Said Hussein Khalil el-Sisi
Father: Said “Hassan” el-Sisi, bazaar shop owner
Mother: Soad Mohamed
Marriage: Entissar Amer (1977-present)
Children: Mustafa, Mahmoud, Hassan and Aya
Education: Egyptian Military Academy, 1977; attended Egyptian Command and Staff College, 1987; attended Joint Command and Staff College, United Kingdom, 1992; attended Nasser’s Military Sciences Academy, Egypt, 2003; attended US Army War College, Pennsylvania, 2006
Religion: Muslim
Other Facts
After graduating from military academy in Egypt, Sisi began in the infantry corps and later rose to command a mechanized infantry division, then Egypt’s northern military zone.
Served as the Egyptian military attaché in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Timeline
February 2011 – Following Mubarak’s ouster, is appointed director of military intelligence and reconnaissance. Sisi also becomes the youngest member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the interim military authority comprised of senior military leaders.
June 26, 2011 – Sisi pledges to Amnesty International that the Egyptian army will no longer subject female detainees to “virginity tests.” Months earlier, Sisi had confirmed that forced “virginity tests” were performed on women arrested at the March 9 protests and defended the practice.
August 12, 2012 – President Mohamed Morsy appoints Sisi as minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
July 1, 2013 – After widespread demonstrations, Sisi delivers the Egyptian military’s message that the country’s civilian government has 48 hours to “meet the demands of the people” or the military will step in to restore order. The ultimatum is not considered the declaration of a coup.
July 3, 2013 – Egypt’s military removes Morsy from power and reportedly holds him under house arrest. In a televised speech to the nation, Sisi says that Morsy “did not achieve the goals of the people” and failed to meet the generals’ demands that he share power with his opposition. Sisi also says that Adly Mansour will serve as interim president.
July 16, 2013 – In addition to retaining his positions as defense minister and leader of the armed forces, Sisi is also sworn-in as deputy prime minister.
January 2014 – Is promoted to field marshal.
March 26, 2014 – Resigns from his military post and declares his candidacy for president of Egypt.
May 5, 2014 – In a taped interview broadcast on Egyptian satellite networks, Sisi vows to finish off the Muslim Brotherhood if he’s elected president.
June 3, 2014 – Officially declared the winner of the presidential election, with more than 96% of the vote.
June 8, 2014 – Sworn in as president.
February 22, 2015 – Due to growing threats in the region, Sisi states that there is a need for a unified Arab force.
September 23, 2015 – Sisi pardons 100 prisoners. Among them are Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who were arrested in December 2013 after being accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.
April 3, 2017 – Sisi meets with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. This is the first visit by an Egyptian leader to the White House in seven years.
April 2017-October 2021 – A nationwide state of emergency declared by Sisi is extended every three months with the approval of parliament. The initial declaration followed terrorist attacks on two churches in 2017.
April 2, 2018 – Secures a second term in office after winning 97% of the vote.
April 9, 2019 – Trump meets with Sisi at the White House for the second time.
April 23, 2019 – The National Elections Authority announces that Egyptians have voted to pass a number of major changes to the country’s constitution. One amendment would extend a presidential term from four to six years. It would also add two more years to Sisi’s current term and allow him to seek reelection for another six-year term in 2024.
September 20, 2019 – Hundreds of anti-regime protesters gather in Cairo demanding Sisi’s resignation over allegations of corruption.
October 2, 2019 – According to Amnesty International, Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 2,300 people, including at least 111 children, the largest crackdown under Sisi’s rule.
June 27, 2021 – Sisi arrives in Baghdad, becoming the first Egyptian leader to travel to Iraq in three decades, Dr. Hussein Allawi, advisor to Iraq’s Prime Minister, tells CNN.
September 11, 2021 – Sisi launches Egypt’s new national human rights strategy.
April 26, 2022 – In a speech during Ramadan, Sisi calls on Egypt’s political parties to establish a dialogue regarding national action. He promises to address the resulting report. He also reactivates the Presidential Pardon Committee.
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