Intel: Egypt’s medical aid to US fails to stem outrage over American prisoners

Apr 24, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry by phone on Thursday to discuss “continued collaboration on key regional issues and bilateral COVID-19 assistance,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus noted in a statement.

According to Ortagus, Pompeo also “emphasized that detained US citizens be kept safe and provided consular access during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Why it matters: Even though Egypt is currently mired in its own COVID-19 crisis, Cairo dispatched a shipment of medical aid for the United States earlier this week. The shipment included anesthesia drugs, antibiotics, body bags, masks and coronavirus test swabs. Cairo has made a habit of shipping personal protective equipment and aid to wealthier countries that have been hit by the pandemic, including Britain and Italy. However, Egypt has also imported medical equipment from China and remains in a growing COVID-19 crisis of its own, with more than 4,000 recorded infections and nearly 300 deaths. Interestingly, the United States has not included funding for Egypt in its $508 million emergency coronavirus aid package.

What’s next: Egypt is still detaining at least six American political prisoners in Egypt, and the United States is pushing for their release. On Thursday, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Senate’s Middle East panel, urged “a tougher line” on US military aid to Egypt in this year’s spending bill.

Murphy expressed particular concern over Mohamed Amashah, an Egyptian-American medical student arrested last year for protesting against the thousands of political prisoners in Egyptian jails. Amashah, who suffers from autoimmune deficiency and asthma, went on hunger strike last month to protest his treatment.