CAIRO (MEMO) – The U.S. Congress’ Egypt Human Rights Caucus has called on the Biden administration to investigate the Egyptian Air Force’s misuse of U.S.-supplied equipment to kill suspected smugglers.
A statement by Congress’ Egypt Human Rights Caucus calls on the United States to investigate allegations that the Egyptian Air Force misused U.S. aid, backed by taxpayer money, to kill smugglers by using F-16 aircraft and the U.S. Cessna 208. The Group considered this a violation of U.S. law and undermined the U.S.’s efforts to support a government that respects human rights in Egypt.
The statement referred to the recent investigation by the French website, Disclose. The investigation revealed many French military documents showing that the Egyptian Air Force killed suspected smugglers in the Western Desert, describing it as a severe violation of international law and the terms of the contract prohibiting the use of U.S. equipment in human rights abuses.
The Group said that, although these allegations are shocking, they are consistent with previous reports indicating a systematic shooting-first strategy by the Egyptian army in the Western Desert. The statement referred to an earlier Egyptian airstrike by the U.S. supplied Apache attack helicopters in 2015 that led to the killing of 12 Mexican tourists and the severe injuries of two Americans. The Egyptian government described the horrific incident as a “mistake”.
The Group urges President Biden to initiate an investigation by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and Director of National Intelligence of potential misuse of U.S.-supplied military aircraft in Egypt, demanding immediate freezing of all military aid from the United States to the Egyptian regime.
A few days ago, Human Rights Watch demanded the French authorities stop selling weapons to the Egyptian government and initiate an immediate investigation about the leaked documents.