US embassy in Cairo moves to protect American civilians

According to the Washington Post, the American Embassy in Cairo on Sunday took the unusual step of sheltering US citizens employed by ¬nongovernmental organizations amid fears that they could be detained as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy groups, according to officials and a former NGO official.

The move comes a week after Sam LaHood, director of the International Republican Institute’s program in Egypt, was barred from boarding an international flight in Cairo. LaHood is the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Several other NGO workers later learned that they had also been barred from leaving the country.

Moving the Americans into the neighborhood-size diplomatic compound in the center of the capital appeared to mark a dramatic worsening in Washington’s relationship with Cairo, which has been strained over the past year as the country’s ruling generals have sought to portray foreigners as agents of instability.

Raids aimed at western-based organization are not expected to end anytime soon. In fact, some resident in Cairo have gone so far as to warn visitors away citing that military leaders may be looking for any possible scapegoat in order to shift blame for a faltering Democratic shift.

(아주경제 앤드류 이 기자)

AJP