CAIRO (Reuters) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on Sunday Egypt may be forced to re-evaluate its $8 billion programme with the IMF if international institutions do not take into account the extraordinary regional challenges the country is facing.
Egypt signed an $8 billion financial support package with the International Monetary Fund in March that requires it to reduce subsidies on fuel, electricity and other commodities and to allow its currency to float freely — measures that have triggered public fury.
The IMF package unlocked billions of dollars of additional funds from the World Bank and the European Union.
On Friday, Egypt raised prices on a wide range of fuel products for the third time this year, with diesel and gasoline prices increasing by between 11% to 17%. In June, it raised the price of subsidised bread by 300%. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in July that fuel prices would continue to rise gradually through to the end of 2025.
“As for the programme we’re engaged in now, and this is a message we’re sending to ourselves and to concerned international institutions, the Fund and the World Bank and all the institutions, we are doing this under extremely difficult regional and global circumstances,” Sisi said at a conference.
Egypt had lost $6-7 billion in revenues the last seven to 10 months, a situation could continue for at least another year, he added.
Attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen’s Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, has diverted traffic from the Suez Canal, causing revenue to fall to $870 million in the second quarter from $2.54 billion a year earlier.
“The programme we have agreed upon with the fund — and that is an important matter that I am telling the government and myself — if this challenge will hurt public opinion, that people cannot bear it, we must re-evaluate our situation,” Sisi said.
Egyptian officials are attending the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Washington this week, when they are expected to hold talks with officials from the two institutions.
(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by Ros Russell)
