Egyptian security representatives agreed Monday to allow limited construction materials onto parts of Warraq Island following resident-led protests, yielding ground in a tense standoff over state displacement pressure and strict security controls, two islanders told Al Manassa, including one who took part in the talks.
The concession came after islanders halted state construction ferries overnight to demand relief from a ongoing blockade on repair supplies needed to maintain their homes.
Security forces had been enforcing a blanket ban on incoming building supplies and subject vehicles crossing by ferry to intensive searches. The restrictions triggered violent clashes days ago near Al-Qollali ferry in the Warraq urban district after security officers expanded searches from construction supplies to inspecting bags containing women’s clothing.
In response, dozens of residents launched a protest Sunday afternoon that extended into Monday afternoon. Demonstrators halted two ferries carrying construction materials to state project sites and presented a list of grievances focused on building restrictions.
Under the new agreement, authorities will permit building supplies onto the island strictly within a designated “residential block,” according to two local residents who spoke to Al Manassa, including one who participated in the talks.
While offering partial relief, officials accompanied the proposal with threats to expropriate residents who refuse to surrender their rural homes for state-built apartments as Cairo advances a 17.5 billion Egyptian pound ($350 million) mega-development project.
To receive materials for home repairs or upper-floor additions, residents must submit advance applications and undergo site inspections by a committee whose membership has not been disclosed.
During Monday’s negotiations, security representatives also agreed to restore lighting to parts of the island and address a worsening sewage crisis by allowing tanker operators back into residential neighborhoods. Tanker operations had previously been restricted exclusively to government project sites. Officials also indicated flexibility regarding security restrictions along the access route to Al-Qollali ferry.
However, state officials deferred decisions on resident requests for an emergency doctor and a Health Ministry official at a local hospital built at the community's own expense.
Residents require medical staff primarily to complete procedures for issuing burial permits. Officials also postponed a response to a proposal allowing residents to self-fund expansions to the Al-Qollali ferry dock.
Islanders rejected an oral proposal by officials to move the passenger vehicle ferry from Al-Qollali to a dock used by state construction vessels. The negotiation participant said residents refused the relocation “because implementing the plan would mean tighter control over searches of those vehicles.”
The state’s conditional building approval applies only to the “residential block,” an area covering up to 300 feddans (126 hectares) where most residents live. Under a division plan introduced last year by Osama Shawky, head of the Warraq City Development Authority, the island is split between this populated core and sparsely populated “outlying areas” targeted for government construction that the state has not yet acquired.
Shawky’s plan outlined that residents would remain in the residential block without changes to existing homes while state projects proceed in outlying areas.
Security representatives informed residents that applications will soon open for alternative apartment units on the island for people living in the outlying areas. But islanders rejected apartment living.
“The proposal remains unacceptable to some residents who do not want to exchange their rural-style homes, which accommodate their extended families, for apartments,” the participant in the talks said.
“They insist on a solution that would allow them to obtain homes built along the same family-based model they have now.”
A security representative responded that state infrastructure work in outlying areas is moving rapidly. Residents who insist on staying rather than accepting designated replacement apartments could face home expropriation, the official warned, while promising to relay the matter to senior officials for further negotiation.
The conflict stems from a 2018 Cabinet decree establishing a new urban community on Warraq Island, followed by expropriation decisions enabling the New Urban Communities Authority to construct New Warraq City, a complex featuring commercial areas, service hubs, and dozens of residential and investment towers.
In July 2022, the State Information Service rebranded the project as “Horus City,” projecting 122.54 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.45 billion) in revenues over 25 years. The master plan includes eight investment zones, a commercial district, luxury housing, a central park, green space, a cultural zone, two marinas, and a tourist corniche.
The government’s clearing campaign and islanders’ refusal to abandon their homes have driven persistent conflict, with periodic clashes over ferry restrictions, construction material blockades, and resident detentions.
