The Civil Democratic Movement in Egypt rejected the involvement of the armed forces in any regional war on behalf of any party, calling for prioritizing national interests and resorting to diplomatic mediation to contain the escalation.
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In a statement regarding President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s recent remarks, the movement stressed that Egyptian national interests should be the primary determinant of any decision regarding participation in regional conflicts, rejecting any link between the Egyptian position and any “directives” from external parties.
She stressed that Egypt’s most important role is political and diplomatic mediation, working to defuse crises and tensions, and preserving the lives and resources of Arab peoples, in a way that contributes to strengthening regional security and stability.
The movement’s position comes at a time when the region is witnessing a military escalation against the backdrop of confrontations related to Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group in Yemen, and after Sisi announced Cairo’s readiness to take whatever measures are necessary to defend the security of the Kingdom if it requests them, and called on the House of Representatives to grant him a mandate to move in this direction.
Following a meeting chaired by Sisi, the Egyptian National Defense Council affirmed Egypt’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its readiness to provide all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security, stability, and territorial integrity, while simultaneously emphasizing the need to intensify political and diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation and reach peaceful solutions to regional crises.
In contrast, the civil movement maintains that any decision regarding the involvement of the armed forces in a conflict outside the borders should be governed by Egyptian national interests, warning against linking the sovereign decision to external directives, and emphasizing the priority of the diplomatic track in dealing with crises.
This controversy coincides with discussions within the House of Representatives regarding the authorization request, amid questions about the nature, scope, and repercussions of any potential military mission. The vote on the request has been postponed until October 26, according to press reports, while political positions continue to diverge regarding the limits of Egypt's role in the crisis.
The Civil Movement also called on opposition forces to prepare for the presidential elections scheduled for 2030, stressing the right of citizens to choose the ruler, and emphasizing that free and fair elections, in accordance with constitutional rules, are the only way to peacefully transfer power, stressing that choosing the ruler is an inherent right of the people and is not subject to the guardianship of any academy or institution.
The movement called on the opposing civil forces to immediately begin preparing a national democratic reform program that paves the way for the establishment of a modern civil state based on the rule of law, the rotation of power, and respect for rights and freedoms, and addresses the political and economic crises that it said Egyptians have been suffering from for decades.
The statement stressed that the economic crisis and the suffering of citizens should be at the forefront of any political change project, calling for political openness and democratic reform, the release of prisoners of conscience, an end to prolonged pretrial detention and what it described as "rotationalism" of prisoners, the release of public freedoms and the lifting of restrictions imposed on political activity.
