Tuesday, September 14, 2021

A01116 - Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, General Who Led Egypt After Mubarak's Fall

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Tantawi, Mohamed

Mohamed Tantawi (Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman) (b. October 31, 1935, Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt – d. September 21, 2021, Cairo, Egypt) was an Egyptian field marshal and politician. He was the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and, as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, was the de facto head of state from the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011 until the inauguration of Mohamed Morsi as President of Egypt on June 30, 2012. Tantawi served in the government as Minister of Defense and Military Production from 1991 until Morsi ordered him to retire on August 12, 2012.

Tantawi, who was of Nubian origin, joined the Egyptian Military Academy in 1952 and received his commission as an Army officer on April 1, 1955 in the infantry. The following year he took part in the Suez War (or the Tripartite Aggression as it is often known in Egypt) as an infantry platoon commander. He was promoted to Major in 1961 and commanded an infantry company in Yemen during the North Yemen Civil War.  Later in his career he was involved in the Six-Day War of 1967 as a battalion commander, the War of Attrition of 1967–1970, and the October, or Yom Kippur, War of 1973. 

During the Yom Kippur War, Tantawi was a Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 16th mechanized infantry battalion. He held various command and staff appointments including both the Chief of Staff and then Commander of the Second Field Army between 1986 and 1989. Additionally, he served as a military attache to Pakistan between 1983 and 1985, an important role given the two countries' political and military links. Tantawi served as a Commander of the Republican Guard Forces between 1989 and 1991, and later as Chief of the Operations Authority of the Armed Forces. In 1991, he also commanded an Egyptian Army unit in the United States led Gulf War against Iraq to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, which Iraq had invaded in 1990.

On May 29, 1991, following the dismissal of Colonel General Youssef Sabri Abu Taleb, Tantawi was promoted to lieutenant general rank and appointed minister of defense and military production and commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces. After one month, he was promoted to general colonel rank, which he held for two years before being promoted to the rank of field marshal, the highest rank in the Egyptian military, in 1993. It is believed that Tantawi would have succeeded Mubarak as president of Egypt had the June 1995 assassination attempt on Mubarak had been successful.  However, what is certain is that, early in 2011, Tantawi was seen as a possible contender for the Egyptian presidency.

On February 11, 2011, when President Mubarak resigned, after 18 days of protests by the Egyptian people, Tantawi transferred authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by himself. The council, overseeing issues with the Chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Farouk Sultan, dissolved the Egyptian parliament; oversaw the referendum over temporary constitutional amendments which took place on March 19, 2011; and presided over the summons to justice, for accountability, of Mubarak and many of the former regime's top figures.

On a personal level, Tantawi kept a relatively low profile after the handing over of power to the council, only making a first public appearance in an address to mark the graduation of a new recruits at the Police Academy on May 16, 2011. He opted to leave most public speeches and press releases to other senior members in the council.  He also appointed Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet. Tantawi also received a number of foreign officials, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 


After a new series of protests in November 2011, that escalated by November 22 with over 33 dead and over 2,000 injured in the wake of the use of force by the police to quell protests at Tahrir Square and its vicinity, Tantawi appeared on Egyptian national television to pledge the speeding up of presidential elections – the principal demand of protesters.

On  August 12, 2012, Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi ordered Tantawi to retire as head of the armed forces and defense minister. Tantawi was subsequently decorated with the Order of the Nile and appointed, instead, as an advisor to Morsi. There was speculation that his removal was part of a pre-arranged withdrawal by the military from political power in exchange for immunity from prosecution for earlier actions.

Tantawi died on September 21, 2021, following a period of ill health.

Mohamed Tantawi see Tantawi, Mohamed

Mohamaed Hussein Tantawi Soliman see Tantawi, Mohamed

Soliman, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi see Tantawi, Mohamed

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Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman (Arabicمحمد حسين طنطاوي سليمان‎, Egyptian Arabic: [mæˈħæmmæd ħeˈseːn tˤɑnˈtˤɑːwi seleˈmæːn]; 31 October 1935 – 21 September 2021) was an Egyptian field marshal and politician. He was the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces[2] and, as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, was the de facto head of state from the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011 until the inauguration of Mohamed Morsi as president of Egypt on 30 June 2012. Tantawi served in the government as Minister of Defense and Military Production from 1991 until Morsi ordered him to retire on 12 August 2012.

Tantawi, who was of Nubian origin,[3][4] joined the Egyptian Military Academy in 1952 and received his commission as an Army officer on 1 April 1955 in the infantry. The following year he took part in the Suez War (or the Tripartite Aggression as it is often known in Egypt) as an infantry platoon commander. He was promoted to Major in 1961 and commanded an infantry company in Yemen during the North Yemen Civil War. Later in his career he was involved in the Six-Day War of 1967 as a battalion commander, the War of Attrition of 1967–1970, and the October or Yom Kippur War of 1973. During the Yom Kippur War he was a Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 16th mechanized infantry battalion. He held various command and staff appointments including both the Chief of Staff and then Commander of the Second Field Army between 1986 and 1989. Additionally he served as a military attaché to Pakistan between 1983 and 1985, an important role given the two countries' political and military links. Tantawi served as a Commander of the Republican Guard Forces between 1989 and 1991, and later a Chief of the Operations Authority of the Armed Forces. In 1991, he also commanded an Egyptian Army unit in the U.S.-led Gulf War against Iraq to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, which it had invaded in 1990.

On 29 May 1991, following the dismissal of Colonel General Youssef Sabri Abu Taleb, Tantawi was promoted to lieutenant general rank and appointed minister of defense and military production and commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces. After one month he was promoted to general colonel rank, which he held for two years before being promoted to the rank of field marshal, the highest rank in the Egyptian military, in 1993. It is believed that Tantawi would have succeeded Mubarak as president of Egypt had the assassination attempt in June 1995 been successful.[5] Early in 2011, Tantawi was seen as a possible contender for the Egyptian presidency.[6]

Robert Springborg wrote that "Foreign military professionals.. liken[ed] Tantawi to the CEO of the largest corporate conglomerate in Egypt" because his primary concern was the economic well-being of the military, not the performance of its nominal tasks and duties.[7]


On 11 February 2011, when President Hosni Mubarak resigned, after 18 days of protests from the Egyptian people, Tantawi transferred authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by himself. The council, overseeing issues with the Chairman of the Supreme Constitutional CourtFarouk Sultan, dissolved the Egyptian parliament,[8] oversaw the referendum over temporary constitutional amendments which took place on 19 March, and presided over summons to justice, for accountability, of Mubarak and many of the former regime's top figures.

On a personal level, Tantawi kept a relatively low profile since the handing over of power to the council, only making a first public appearance in an address to mark the graduation of a batch at the Police Academy on 16 May 2011. He opted to leave most public speeches and press releases to other senior members in the council; he also appointed Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet. Tantawi also received a number of foreign officials, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


After a new series of protests in November 2011, that escalated by 22 November to over 33 dead and over 2,000 injured in the wake of the use of force by the police to quell protests at Tahrir Square and its vicinity, Tantawi appeared on Egyptian national television to pledge the speeding up of presidential elections – the principal demand of protesters – and that the armed forces "are fully prepared to immediately hand over power and to return to their original duty in protecting the homeland if that's what the people want, through a popular referendum if necessary."[9]

On 12 August 2012, Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi ordered Tantawi to retire as head of the armed forces and defence minister.[10] Tantawi was decorated with the Order of the Nile and appointed, instead, as an advisor to Morsi; there was speculation that his removal was part of a pre-arranged withdrawal by the military from political power in exchange for immunity from prosecution for earlier actions.[11]


Criticism of Tantawi in Egypt was manyfold,[12] including many chants in Tahrir for him to leave.[13] Chants against Tantawi included "Tantawi stripped your women naked, come join us."[14] Protesters also "demanded the execution of Tantawi."[15]

Nabeel Rajab, the head of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, criticized Tantawi for his reception for King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in October 2011. "This is a very bad message from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to the international community, the Egyptian and Bahraini people", he said. "Continuing this path threatens Egypt's democratic future", he added.[16]

Tantawi died on 21 September 2021, following a period of ill health.[17][18]

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Nubians (/ˈnbiənz, ˈnj-/) (NobiinNobī)[6] are an ethno-linguistic group of people who are indigenous to the region which is now present-day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization.[7] They speak Nubian languages, part of the Northern Eastern Sudanic languages.

Early Neolithic settlements have been found in the central Nubian region dating back to 7000 BC, with Wadi Halfa believed to be the oldest settlement in the central Nile valley.[8] Parts of Nubia, particularly Lower Nubia, were at times a part of ancient Pharaonic Egypt and at other times a rival state representing parts of Meroë or the Kingdom of Kush. By the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (744 BC–656 BC), all of Egypt was united with Nubia, extending down to what is now Khartoum.[9] However, In 656 BC the native Twenty-sixth Dynasty regained control of Egypt. As warriors, the ancient Nubians were famous for their skill and precision with the bow and arrow.[10] In the Middle Ages, the Nubians converted to Christianity and established three kingdoms: Nobatia in the north, Makuria in the center, and Alodia in the south.

Today, Nubians in Egypt primarily live in southern Egypt, especially in Kom Ombo and Nasr al-nuba north of Aswan,[11][12][13] and large cities such as Cairo, while Sudanese Nubians live in northern Sudan, particularly in the region between the city of Wadi Halfa on the Egypt–Sudan border and al Dabbah. Some Nubians migrated to Khashm el Girba and New Halfa. Additionally, several groups known as the Hill Nubians live in the northern Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state, Sudan.[14] The main Nubian groups from north to south are the Kenzi (NobiinMatōki), Faadicha (Halfawi) (NobiinFadīja), Sukkot, Mahas (NobiinMahássi), and Danagla.[15] There also exist two large tribes of fully arabized Nubians who inhabit Northern Sudan - these groups are known as the Shaigiya (NobiinŠaigē) and Ja'alin.


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Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, 85, Dies; Led Egypt After Mubarak’s Fall

A general and defense minister, he took power after the Arab Spring uprising, overseeing a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi in 2012. Egypt’s defense minister for two decades under Hosni Mubarak, he briefly led the nation after Mr. Mubarak’s ouster in 2011 after the Arab Spring uprising.
Credit...Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Egyptian general who took charge of the country when Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down amid the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, died on Tuesday. He was 85.

His death was announced by Egypt’s presidency. Field Marshal Tantawi, who had been ill for several months, died in a hospital in Cairo, according to a person close to his family.

Field Marshal Tantawi, Mr. Mubarak’s defense minister for some 20 years, was chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power after Mr. Mubarak’s ouster. Known to be unquestioningly loyal to the former president, he oversaw a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that continued under Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s current president. General el-Sisi’s government has since rolled back many of the freedoms won in 2011.

Field Marshal Tantawi’s death came 19 months after Mr. Mubarak died in a Cairo military hospital.

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman was born in Cairo on Oct. 31, 1935.

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He fought in the 1956 Suez crisis and the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel. He became defense minister in 1991, two years after Mr. Mubarak removed Field Marshal Abdul-Halim Abu Ghazalah, reportedly because of his growing popularity.

Field Marshal Tantawi ran Egypt for 17 months, from Feb. 11, 2011, when Mr. Mubarak stepped down, until the election of Mohammed Morsi in June 2012.

After a short honeymoon, relations grew increasingly hostile between the ruling generals and the pro-democracy movement that had led the 18-day uprising against Mr. Mubarak.

In one of the most violent incidents, in October 2011, armored military vehicles ran over protesters participating in a sit-in in front of the headquarters of state television, killing several. This marked the beginning of a fierce campaign to crush dissent, resulting in the death of dozens at the hands of security forces in street skirmishes and the arrest of hundreds, many of them civil society leaders.

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Youth groups that had engineered the uprising against Mr. Mubarak accused Field Marshal Tantawi of employing the same violent tactics as his predecessor. Dismay at police brutality had been a rallying cry of the 2011 uprising. But under Field Marshal Tantawi, the military grew in power.

Image
Field Marshal Tantawi, right, with Mr. Mubarak in 2001.
Credit...Agence France-Presse, via Mena

Mistreatment of detainees in government custody continued, many of them arrested on trumped-up charges. More than 10,000 civilians were sentenced by military tribunals.

Field Marshal Tantawi and the military’s supreme council enjoyed lukewarm support from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most powerful Islamist group, before a standoff between the military and the group reached its height in 2012.

The Muslim Brotherhood had long been oppressed under Mr. Mubarak. The group won the elections held after his fall. First they gained a majority in parliament, then Mr. Morsi squeaked to victory in presidential elections held in 2012, becoming the first civilian to hold that office.

But a court dissolved the Brotherhood-led parliament, and the generals granted themselves legislative and budgetary authority and control over the process of drafting a new constitution. They also put severe limits on the president’s authority just days before Mr. Morsi, who had been a member of the Brotherhood, was sworn in as president in June 2012.

Only two months later, Mr. Morsi used an attack by militants on troops in the Sinai Peninsula to remove Field Marshal Tantawi, along with the chief of staff, Sami Enan. He named General el-Sisi, who at the time was head of military intelligence, as defense minister. General el-Sisi would eventually oversee Mr. Morsi’s removal from power amid more street protests.

Field Marshal Tantawi is survived by his wife and two sons.

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