Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has served as the sixth president of Egypt since 2014.
After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 2012 election of Mohamed Morsi to the Egyptian presidency, the first democratic election in the history of the country, Sisi was appointed Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces in August 2012, replacing Hussein Tantawi. Following large scale protests against Morsi's presidency, Sisi led the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, overthrowing Morsi on 3 July 2013. Demonstrations and sit-ins organized by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian democracy followed.
Under the command of Sisi, two camps of protesters were violently dispersed in Cairo: one at al-Nahda Square and a larger one at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, the Rabaa massacre, leading to international criticism. The dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins by the police and military forces resulted in the killing of about 800 to 1,000+ protestors and the arrests of almost 19,000. Human Rights Watch describes the massacres as crimes against humanity.
After the 2014 presidential election, Sisi was sworn into office as President of Egypt in June 2014. Sisi faced minimal opposition in the 2018 and 2023 presidential elections, after other candidates were barred from running or boycotted the election due to repression. Most independent observers view Sisi as a dictator. He leads an authoritarian government and, according to Human Rights Watch, "relies on naked coercion and the military and security services as his main vehicles of control". Elements of his rule have been described as even more draconian than that of prior authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak, who was president from 1981 to 2011. In 2024, Egyptian citizens and activists organised an online "Dignity Revolution", resulting in widespread anti-regime protests. Sisi's government heavily cracked down on dissent in response, arbitrarily detaining hundreds. Analysts have described Egypt under Sisi as "The Sick Man of the Middle East" due to his fragile rule and Egypt's economic turbulence.
Contents
Early life and military education
Sisi was born in the Gamaleya neighbourhood of Historic Cairo on 19 November 1954 to Said Hussein Khalil al-Sisi and Soad Ibrahim Mohamed, both from Monufia Governorate. He grew up in Gamaleya, near al-Azhar Mosque, in a quarter where Muslims, Jews and Christians resided and in which he later recalled how, during his childhood, he had heard church bells and watched Jews flock to synagogue unhindered.
He later enrolled in the Egyptian Military Academy, and upon graduating he held various command positions in the Egyptian Armed Forces and served as Egypt's military attaché in Riyadh. In 1987, he attended the Egyptian Command and Staff College. In 1992, he continued his military career by enrolling in the British Command and Staff College, and, in 2006, enrolled in the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Sisi was the youngest member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, serving as the director of military intelligence and reconnaissance department. He was later chosen to replace Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and serve as the commander-in-chief and Minister of Defense and Military Production on 12 August 2012.
Sisi's family origins were in the Monufia Governorate. He is the second eldest of eight siblings. His father, a conservative Muslim, who later had six additional children with a second wife, owned an antiques shop for tourists in the historic bazaar of Khan el-Khalili.
Sisi and his siblings studied at the nearby library at al-Azhar University. Unlike his brothers—one of whom is a senior judge, another a civil servant—Sisi went to a local army-run secondary school, where he developed a relationship with his maternal cousin, Entissar Amer. They were married upon Sisi's graduation from the Egyptian Military Academy in 1977. He attended the following courses:
General Command and Staff Course, Egyptian Command and Staff College, 1987;
General Command and Staff Course, Joint Command and Staff College, United Kingdom, 1992;
War Course, Fellowship of the Higher War College, Nasser Military Academy, Egypt, 2003;
Military career (1977–2014)
Sisi received his commission as a military officer in 1977, serving in the mechanised infantry and specialising in anti-tank warfare and mortar warfare. He became Commander of the Northern Military Region-Alexandria in 2008 and then Director of Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance from 2010 until his appointment as Defense Minister by former President Mohamed Morsi in 2012. Sisi was the youngest member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt.
While a member of the Supreme Council, he made controversial statements regarding allegations that Egyptian soldiers had subjected detained female demonstrators to forced virginity tests. He is reported to have told Egypt's state-owned newspaper that "the virginity-test procedure was done to protect the girls from rape, as well as to protect the soldiers and officers from rape accusations". He was the first member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to admit that the invasive tests had been carried out.
Main command positions
Commander, 509th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
Chief of Staff, 134th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Commander, 16th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Chief of Staff, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division
Chief of Staff, Northern Military Zone
Deputy Director, Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance Department
Director, Military Intelligence and Reconnaissance Department
Also reported is commander of the 23rd Mechanized Division, Third Field Army.
Minister of Defense
On 12 August 2012, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi made a decision to replace the Mubarak-era Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Egyptian Armed Forces, with then little-known Sisi. He also promoted him to the rank of colonel general. Sisi was then described by the official website of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Freedom and Justice Party as a "defense minister with revolutionary taste". Sisi also took the post of Minister of Defense and Military Production in the Qandil Cabinet.
Sisi was appointed as Minister of Defense on 12 August 2012. He remained in office under the new government formed after the deposition of Morsi, and led by Hazem al-Beblawi. He was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Egypt. On 27 January 2014, he was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
Coup d'état and Rabaa massacre
Mass demonstrations occurred on 30 June 2013 as Egyptians took to the streets to protest policies of the democratically-elected Morsi government. Soon afterwards, the Egyptian Army issued a 48-hour ultimatum which aired on television that gave the country's political parties until 3 July to meet their demands. The Egyptian military also threatened to intervene if the dispute was not resolved by then.
On 3 July 2013, the Egyptian Armed Forces initiated a coup d'état. The army then installed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mansour as the interim head of state in his place until a new president could be elected, and ordered the arrest of many members of the Muslim Brotherhood on charges of "inciting violence and disturbing general security and peace". Sisi announced on television that the president had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people" and declared that the constitution would be temporarily suspended, which was met by acceptance from anti-Morsi protesters and condemnation from pro-Morsi supporters in Rabaa al-Adawiya.
On 24 July 2013, during a speech at a military parade, Sisi called for mass demonstrations to grant the Egyptian military and police a "mandate" to crack down on pro-democracy protestors. While supporters interpreted this to mean that Sisi felt the need of the people to prove to the world that it was not a coup but the popular will, the statement was seen by opponents as contradicting the military's pledges to hand over power to civilians after removing Morsi and as indicating an imminent crackdown against Islamists.
The reactions to Sisi's announcement ranged from open support from the interim Egyptian presidency and the Tamarod movement to rejection by much of civil society, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafi Nour Party, the Strong Egypt Party, the liberal April 6 Youth Movement and human rights groups.
During the dispersal process of anti-coup protestors, the Egyptian military under Sisi's command was involved in assisting the national police in dispersing two sit-ins held by anti-coup protestors in Rabaa el-Adaweya and Nahda squares. This action resulted in led to murder of over 900 protestors by Egyptian security forces in the Rabaa Massacre. Human Rights Watch described the sit-in dispersals as crimes against humanity and called them "one of the world's largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history." In 2023, Amnesty International released stated that, "The 10-year anniversary of the Rabaa massacre is a stark reminder of how impunity for the mass killing of over 900 people has enabled an all-out assault on peaceful dissent, an erosion of any fair trial safeguards in the criminal justice system, and unspeakable cruelty in prisons over the past decade, Amnesty International said today."
Presidency (2014–present)
President Sisi was sworn into office on 8 June 2014. The event was marked by an impromptu public holiday in Egypt in conjunction with festivals held nationwide. Tahrir Square was prepared to receive millions of Egyptians celebrating Sisi's presidency; police and soldiers shut down the square outlets with barbed wires and barricades, as well as electronic portals for detecting any explosives that could spoil the festivities.
Sisi's oath of office was administered in the morning in Egypt's Supreme constitutional court in front of the deputy head of the constitutional court, Maher Sami, who described Sisi as a "rebel soldier" and a "revolutionary hero"; ex-president Adly Mansour; other constitutional court members; and a group of Egypt's top politicians. Sisi later moved to the Heliopolis Palace, where a 21-gun salute welcomed the new president, before the ex-president received Sisi near the palace's stairway. Sisi then presided over a reception for the foreign presidents, emirs, kings, and official delegations who had been invited. No representatives of Turkey, Tunisia or Qatar were invited, reportedly because of their governments' critical stances regarding then-recent coup in Egypt; representatives of Israel were also not invited.
In a ceremony at Heliopolis Palace, Sisi gave a speech to the attendees. He and the previous president, Adly Mansour, also signed a document officially transferring power to Sisi, which was the first time in Egyptian history that power had been transferred in this way. Sisi then went on to Koubbeh Palace, where the final ceremony was held. There, he gave the final speech of the day to 1,200 attendees representing a spectrum of the Egyptian people—from various walks of life and from each of the provinces of Egypt. He described the problems that he said Egypt was facing, and his plan for addressing them, and declared, "In its next phase, Egypt will witness a total rise on both internal and external fronts, to compensate for what we have missed and correct the mistakes of the past". Sisi then issued his first presidential decree, conferring the Order of the Nile upon the previous interim-president, Adly Mansour.
Domestic policy
According to the American organization Freedom House in 2021, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has governed Egypt in an authoritarian manner. Freedom House claims that meaningful political opposition is virtually nonexistent in the country, and that security forces engage in human rights abuses with impunity.
Sisi has expressed his personal concerns about the issue of sexual assault in Egypt. He was photographed during a hospital visit to a woman receiving treatment after an assault during celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, ordering the army, the police, and the media to counter the issue.
Sisi has called for the reform and modernisation of Islam; to that end, he has taken measures within Egypt such as regulating mosque sermons and changing school textbooks (including the removal of some content on Saladin and Uqba ibn Nafi inciting or glorifying hatred and violence). He has also called for an end to the Islamic verbal divorce; however, this was rejected by a council of scholars from Al-Azhar University.
Sisi also became the first Egyptian president in the country's history to attend Christmas Mass and gave a speech at the Coptic Orthodox Christmas service in Cairo in January 2015 calling for unity and wishing the Christians a merry Christmas.
The U.S.-based organization Human Rights Watch has accused Sisi's government of using torture and enforced disappearances against political opponents and criminal suspects. HRW has claimed that extrajudicial killings were committed by the military during its campaign against Wilayah Sayna, an ISIS affiliate in North Sinai. HRW has also accused Sisi's government of using prosecutions, travel bans and asset freezes against human rights defenders, and legislations that HRW says threatens the country's civil society. HRW has also accused the government of conducting arbitrary arrests and torture against children as young as twelve.
International human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International estimated that there were about 60,000 political prisoners in Egypt as of January 2020.
Protests against Sisi's government broke out on 20 September 2019, after videos published by Spain-based Egyptian contractor Mohamed Ali alleged that public funds had been mismanaged under Sisi's presidency. The protests were quickly dispersed by police shortly afterward.
Foreign policy
In his first foreign visit since taking office, Sisi took a tour to fellow North African country Algeria, seeking support to counter Islamist insurgencies in North Africa. Shortly before Sisi arrived in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea to participate in the 23rd ordinary session of the African Union summit where he gave his speech blaming the AU for freezing Egypt's membership a year before. Sisi also announced the establishment of an Egyptian partnership agency for Africa's development. He also concluded the tour with a few hours' visit to Sudan.
The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam escalated in 2021. Sisi warned: "I am telling our brothers in Ethiopia, let's not reach the point where you touch a drop of Egypt's water, because all options are open."
Relations with Israel improved significantly following Mohamed Morsi's removal, with Sisi saying that he had talked to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, "a lot". Sisi was described by The Economist as "the most pro-Israeli Egyptian leader ever". With continuous support for Palestine, the Sisi administration supports the two-state solution establishing a Palestinian state on lands that were occupied in 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital which would resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict while achieving some of the Palestinian demands and granting Israel the security it wants.
The first months of Sisi's presidency witnessed the 2014 Gaza War. Egypt also criticised the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip as "oppressive policies of mass punishment rejecting 'the irresponsible Israeli escalation' in the occupied Palestinian territory, which comes in the form of 'excessive' and unnecessary use of military force leading to the death of innocent civilians". It also demanded Israel adopt self-restraint and to keep in mind that being an "occupation force", it has a legal and moral duty to protect civilian lives.
After Egypt proposed an initiative for a ceasefire later accepted by Israel and rejected by Hamas, the Sisi administration urged the world to intervene and stop the crisis when it stated that its ceasefire efforts have been met with "obstinacy and stubbornness". Egypt hosted several meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian officials in Cairo to mediate a ceasefire. President Sisi also ordered the Egyptian Armed Forces to transport 500 tons of aid, consisting of food and medical supplies, to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A statement was also released by the military saying that Egypt is pursuing its efforts to "stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip" under the president's supervision. The War ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire on 26 August 2014.
Political opposition
In September 2019, building contractor Mohamed Ali, in exile in Spain, published videos online that directly criticised Sisi, claiming corruption and ineffectiveness. Ali's videos led to protests in 2019, which Sisi responded to in several speeches. The protests were dispersed by police shortly afterward, leading to the arrests of more than 4,000 protestors.
In November 2019, member of the House of Representatives Ahmed Tantawi submitted a formal parliamentary proposal and a YouTube video online for Sisi to finish his term in 2022 rather than 2024, and for consultation on institutional reforms to take place, to allow change to take place by political methods. Tantawi also announced his candidacy against Sisi in the 2023 Egyptian presidential election, but as a result of Tantawi not getting enough endorsements, he withdrew from the elections.
On 28 December 2019, Mohamed Ali released the "Egyptian Consensus Document" with a list of four key principles and four key actions for replacing Sisi's system of government, which Ali claimed represented the consensus of a wide range of the Egyptian opposition. The following day, the Egyptian National Action Group (ENAG) including Ayman Nour as spokesperson was launched, with a similar claim of representing the consensus of a broad array of the Egyptian opposition ("centrists, liberals, leftists [and] Islamists") with a consensus program for replacing Sisi's governmental system.
January 25 Revolutionaries Movement
The January 25 Revolutionaries Movement was a revolutionary movement started in Syria in January 2025 aimed at overthrowing Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Throughout November and December 2024, the Syrian opposition led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham successfully captured Damascus and subsequently ended the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who had good relations with Egyptian president Sisi. The group was founded with the goal of deposing President Sisi and ending his rule over Egypt, similar to what had occurred to his Syrian counterpart.
A prominent figure and leader of the group is Ahmed al-Mansour, an Egyptian national who served in the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham during the Syrian civil war. On January 15, Mansour was arrested by the Syrian authorities, leaving the movement without a leader and putting into question the future existence of the group
The Israeli N12 has referred to the movement as "Jihadists" and called the creation of the revolutionary movement "in the spirit of the era" referring to the Syrian revolution. An Egyptian pro-Sisi television host, Ahmed Mussa, called the movement a "threat to national security".
2026 Iran War
Despite El Sisi maintaining a strong neutral stance on the 2026 Iran War and acting as a mediator between the United States and Iran. Egypt was heavily affected by the conflict, Leading to more economic stagnation and an increase in Fuel prices. On the 29th of July, A drone strike occurred on the port in Damietta with many pointing to Iran being a potential perpetrator despite not claiming responsibility."
Later on October 18th, Following talks between Egypt and Saudi Arabia about the Bab al-Mandab Strait crisis and the broader Houthi–Saudi conflict. The Egyptian House of Representatives had an emergency session regarding support for Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni conflict, With El Sisi pledging full support for the defence of Saudi Arabia against the Houthis"
Potential end of term in 2030
Since becoming president in 2014, El Sisi repeatedly won 3 consecutive presidential elections with many critics claiming Voter Fraud and Political corruption as potential causes for his repeated victories. However in October of 2026, El Sisi announced he will be stepping down in 2030 as his current presidential term will expire in the same year, Despite many close people associated to El Sisi hinting at him amending the constitution and running for re-election. Sisi has also outlined a plan for the country's main military academy to train potential future leaders for 30 months, A decision heavily criticized by many for not including any civilians or non-millitary affiliated individuals. A commitee overseen by the speaker of parliament and including intellectuals, politicians and the ministers of higher education and justice, would develop criteria for selecting candidates and draft legislation for the training programme."
Personal life and public image
Sisi is protective of the privacy of his family, even though two of his sons hold positions in the government. He is married to his cousin Entissar Amer, and is the father of three sons and one daughter. His son Mahmoud is married to the daughter of former Egyptian army chief Mahmoud Hegazy.
Sisi comes from a religious family and frequently quotes Quranic verses during informal conversations; Sisi's wife wears the hijab. Sisi is known to be quiet and is often called the Quiet General. Even as a young man he was often called "General Sisi" due to his perceived orderly demeanor.
According to Sherifa Zuhur, a professor at the War College, when Sisi attended, many American officers expressed doubts that Muslims could be democratic. Sisi disputed this opinion; he and others were critical of decisions made in Iraq and Libya. Sisi wrote his term paper at the War College on democracy and its applications in the Middle East. In his paper, he argues in favor of democracy based on its past successes. Zuhur also had the impression that Sisi supported a gradual move towards pluralism. While at the War College, Sisi sometimes led Friday prayers at the local mosque.
Sisi described himself as "a doctor whose diagnoses are sought after by top philosophers and prominent world leaders". Upon his ascension to the presidency, Sisi's public persona was characterized by British newspaper The Guardian as one marked by "calmness and piety with a mixture of austerity and warmth".
In 2013, Sisi became one of the most popular political figures in Egypt. Since becoming president his popularity has slowly decreased, with him being labelled authoritarian by several individuals. His economic policies, including the increasing price of the United States dollar, first in late 2016, then in the 2020s has been scrutinised. Sisi's handling of the Gaza war has also been criticised by some figures, specifically his refusal to let Palestinian refugees enter Egypt.
His administration was scrutinized even more during the Global March to Gaza movement in June 2025, when Egyptian border guards got into violent clashes with them after refusing their entry, attracting further criticism internationally and domestically. Sisi has been nicknamed "the Mexican" by Egyptians critical of his leadership, owing to the similarity between his name and the word "El-Meksiki", and also in reference to Joe Biden erroneously calling Sisi the president of Mexico.
Recognition
Military
30 June 2013 Revolution Medal
25 January 2011 Revolution Medal
Silver Jubilee of Liberation of Sinai Medal (2007)
Golden Jubilee of 23 July 1952 Revolution (2002)
Silver Jubilee of October War 1973 Medal (1998)
Longevity and Exemplary Service Medal
October War 1973 Medal (1973)
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Egypt)
Liberation of Sinai Decoration (1982)
Distinguished Service Decoration
Military Duty Decoration, Second Class
Military Duty Decoration, First Class
Military Courage Decoration
Republic's Military Decoration
Training Decoration
Army Day Decoration
Civil
Bahrain: Collar of the Order of Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, 8 May 2017
Belarus: Medal of the Order of the Friendship of Peoples, 18 June 2019
Cyprus: Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, 20 November 2017
Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant, 6 December 2024
France: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, 7 December 2020
Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
Guinea: Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit, 7 April 2019
Ivory Coast: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast, 11 April 2019
KSA: Collar of the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud
Kuwait: Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great, 5 January 2015
Malaysia: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of the Realm, 10 October 2026
Mauritania: Grand Cordon of the National Order of Merit
Oman: Collar of the Order of Oman, 21 May 2023
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry
Serbia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Republic of Serbia
Spain: Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, 16 September 2025
Publications
El-Sisi, Abdel Fattah (15 March 2006). Democracy in the Middle East (PDF) (Thesis). U.S. Army War College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2016.