On Saturday, 23 February 2019, security forces raided residents in Al-Madabegh Street, located in the Old Cairo District of Cairo Governorate, carrying out forced evictions against dozens of households. The security intervention included verbal and physical assaults on residents, causing fear and confusion, as security forces compelled inhabitants to load their belongings and personal effects onto garbage trucks. The campaign also involved the demolition of car repair workshops along the street.
The Old Cairo District authorities had previously conducted a population enumeration of Al-Madabegh Street residents, pledging to provide them with alternative housing units in Al-Asmarat district. However, residents were surprised when the forced evictions were executed without alternative housing being secured for several families, prompting them to go to the district office to inquire about their fate. They were told to go to Al-Asmarat City the following morning to receive their units, while workshop owners received no confirmation of compensation or replacement facilities.
Field Visit
On Saturday, 23 February 2019, researchers from Diwan Alomran learned of a demolition campaign in the Ein Al-Sira area. The research team arrived at the site at 3:00 p.m., where they found dozens of families sitting in front of their houses amid their furniture and household items. Some were loading dismantled timber from their houses onto trucks headed to unknown destinations, while others were selling furniture salvaged from their collapsed homes.
Researchers witnessed two bulldozers demolishing at least three houses, while the site was occupied by two police vehicles, one ambulance, and several security officers. Conversations with residents revealed that enumeration committees had visited the area three weeks earlier to register households for relocation to Al-Asmarat housing units, at monthly rents ranging from EGP 700 to 1,000. Residents stated they did not know the future plans for the area after demolition.
Residents’ Testimonies
A resident recounted:
“Some families are willing to move to Al-Asmarat but cannot afford the monthly rent. Others were not listed in the enumeration records, and in some cases, three families share a single room.”
Another said:
“All we can say is: ‘God is our only refuge.’ Everyone here works with their hands — some in tanneries, some as microbus drivers, others in scrap trading — earning barely EGP 10 a day. Now they demolish our homes and move us to Al-Asmarat or Badr, but how will we work there? Those with children in school — where will they send them? We need at least three months to reorganize our lives. The rent is EGP 1,000 a month — should we pay the government and go hungry? Whoever objects finds the police waiting.”
Follow-up Visit
On Sunday, 24 February 2019, Diwan Alomran researchers returned to the area at 1:00 p.m. Demolitions that began the previous day were still underway, but without the presence of uniformed security forces or ambulances.
An elderly resident pointed to the rubble of his house, saying:
“I lived here with my son. His name appeared on the enumeration list, but mine was missing due to a mix-up between my wife’s name and that of another woman who received a unit. I spent the night in the street until this morning when they told me they would provide me with an apartment.”
His son added:
“I received an apartment, but I work here as an auto mechanic — this was my workshop,” pointing to the ruins. “They told us we would get compensation for the workshops, but we have received nothing so far. We are not against relocation, but we want to be treated with dignity. The officer came in and told us to ‘get out,’ then brought garbage trucks to transport our belongings as if we were not human. Treat us like people, not like dogs.”
