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1986 Egyptian conscripts riot

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1986 Egyptian conscripts riot

Tanks in Cairo during the 1986 riots
Date25 February 1986
Location
Result Uprising Quelled
Belligerents

EgyptEgypt

Central Security Forces
Commanders and leaders
EgyptHosni Mubarak no centralized leadership

On 25 February 1986 around 25,000 conscripts of theCentral Security Forces(CSF), anEgyptianparamilitary force, staged violent protests in and aroundCairo.The riot came as a reaction to the rumour that their three-year compulsory service would be prolonged by one additional year without any additional benefits or rank promotion.

The incited conscripts targeted tourist areas and destroyed two hotels. The regime ofMubarakrelied on theArmed Forcesto crush the mutiny, thus when the poorly paid and poorly armed CSF mutinied,[1]the military was sent in to restore order. TheArmydeployed tanks and armoured personnel carriers and commando snipers to hunt down the rebelling conscripts, most of whom were unarmed or armed only with shields, batons, and assault rifles. InUpper Egyptand nearGiza,the Army Aviation and theAir Forceusedhelicoptersandfighter jetsto attack the rebelling conscripts, causing many deaths. At least four to five helicopters, and three fighter jets, were used in the operation. The Air Force officer in command of the operation wasAhmed Shafik,as commander of all MiG-21 fleets in the Central Military Zone.

The riot lasted for three days, 107 died mostly CSF personnel, according to official reports and 1324 were arrested.[2]Over 20,000 conscripts were dismissed from service with no benefits, and the agitators receivedcorrectional punishmentafter being tried beforeState Security Courtforarson,violent riots,andinsubordinationaccording topenal code.Some reports related that mutiny to a conspiracy against theMinister of Interiorin charge by then (Gen. Ahmed Roshdy) due to his policies. After the suppression the government promised to overhaul the force by raising its entry standards, increasing payment and bettering living conditions in their camps.[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^H.Frisch,Guns and butter in the Egyptian Army,p.6. Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Summer 2001).
  2. ^Europa Publications Limited,The Middle East & North Africa,Volume 50: p.303
  3. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-03-17.Retrieved2014-12-27.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)