This visit was ordered by the presidency, in the hopes that the former statesman could find a solution to end the Nubian people’s anger. Tantawi is the former commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces and former chairperson of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). This endeavour, planned by the Egyptian Countryside Development Company, will see 10 acres from two villages in Aswan sold for investments. They had planned to protest in their lands in Toshka but failed because security forces blocked the road. The Nubian protest also condemns presidential Decree 444, issued in 2014, which designated a large stretch of land in Nubia as a new restricted military zone, adjacent to Egypt’s border with Sudan.

Source: Daily News Egypt November 21, 2016 15:52 UTC