Ahmed al-Mansour: The Egyptian fighter in Syria Raising Concerns for Sisi

Ahmed al-Mansour was relatively unknown until recently, but he has quickly garnered a dedicated following in Egypt following the overthrow of the Assad regime by Syrian rebels.

An Egyptian citizen who began his involvement with Syrian fighters against Bashar al-Assad in 2013, Mansour has been actively producing videos since the rebels took control of Damascus. In these videos, he calls for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to resign after a decade in power.

Utilizing the hashtag “It’s your turn, Dictator,” inspired by the 2011 Syrian slogan “It’s your turn, Doctor,” Mansour shares content almost daily, expressing concern over the severe political and economic challenges facing Egypt.

“The climate of fear imposed by Sisi necessitates our action to revive the revolution,” Mansour stated in a recent video posted on X.

In recent times, Sisi, a former military leader who assumed power in 2013 following a coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, has encountered increasing public discontent due to the violence in neighboring Gaza and the struggling economy.

With a population exceeding 109 million, Egypt has been dealing with unprecedented inflation and a shortage of foreign currency since Sisi took control, with foreign debt rising to $164 billion by December 2023.

In light of the turmoil, Sisi has consistently attempted to deflect blame for the nation’s difficulties and has sought to differentiate himself from Assad.

In various addresses, he has asserted that he is neither responsible for the bloodshed in Egypt nor has he misappropriated the country’s resources.

“If your president is inadequate, if there is blood on his hands, or if he has embezzled funds, you should be worried about your nation. Thankfully, none of these issues apply here,” Sisi remarked in a recent address.

Other users on social media, utilizing Mansour’s hashtag, have claimed that in the months following the coup, Sisi oversaw potential crimes against humanity, as thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators were either shot or arrested during the most severe instance of police brutality in recent history.

Sisi also initiated a large-scale crackdown, detaining approximately 65,000 political adversaries, which included politicians, demonstrators, journalists, and civil society activists.

Is Sisi ‘afraid’?

After the ousting of Assad, which the Egyptian government initially condemned, Cairo reportedly began to compile lists of Egyptians who chose to join the fight in Syria following the uprising.

According to Saudi state media, citing Egyptian sources, some individuals on these lists were allegedly linked to terrorist activities in Egypt prior to their departure for Syria.

Mansour, who has since distanced himself from the rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which took control of Damascus, has mocked the actions of the Egyptian government, asserting that Sisi is “afraid.”

“Sisi has been keeping track of Egyptians fighting in Syria. I have a message for him: You’re foolish. You’re scared,” Mansour declared defiantly in a video released on Monday.

Following the release of the video, Arabi48 reported that Egyptian authorities detained several members of Mansour’s close family, including his father and uncle.

Shortly thereafter, Mansour issued four significant demands in another video on X: the resignation of President Sisi, the withdrawal of the Egyptian military from political affairs, the liberation of all political prisoners, and a return to the ideals of the January 25, 2011 revolution.

Since the inception of Mansour’s social media initiative, Egyptian officials have expressed considerable concern, prompting the interior minister to convene a meeting with senior security personnel and elevate the nation’s security alert to its highest level.

In the midst of escalating tensions, Ahmed Moussa, a well-known supporter of Sisi, criticized Mansour on his X account, warning him of a fate similar to that of Hisham Ashmawy, a former army officer executed for treason and terrorism.

Additionally, Nashat al-Daihi, another supporter of Sisi, condemned Mansour on his television program, branding him a treacherous terrorist who fled Egypt in 2012 and advocating for an armed uprising akin to that in Syria.

A source close to Mansour informed Middle East Eye that despite the Egyptian government’s efforts to portray the former foreign fighter as a terrorist, Mansour’s choice to engage in combat was a direct response to Sisi’s coup and the ensuing violent repression.

The source noted that Mansour, originally from Alexandria Governorate, is well-educated, having studied at Al-Azhar and attended the Naval Academy, where he specialized in logistics.

A source indicated that Mansour plans to pursue studies at the Institute for the Preparation of Preachers and deliver Islamic lectures on Egyptian television.

The source highlighted that Mansour experienced significant changes following the police torture and subsequent death of Khaled Said in 2010. It was noted that Mansour had no affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood or any political party after the fall of Hosni Mubarak, and that the Rabaa al-Adawiya massacre marked a crucial turning point in his life.

According to the source, “Mansour participated in the Rabaa sit-in and witnessed numerous atrocities committed by the military regime.”

Within two months, he departed Egypt for Syria to engage in the conflict against the Assad regime, the source added.

The escalating situation in Syria has led Egyptian authorities to implement heightened security measures concerning Syrians, particularly refugees, living in Egypt.

In Cairo, members of the Syrian community who gathered to celebrate Assad’s downfall were detained under the justification of protesting without a permit.

Additionally, it has been reported that Egyptian authorities have instructed travel and airline companies operating in the country to deny entry to Syrian nationals from any location worldwide, except for those possessing temporary residency permits.