Residents of Egypt's Al-Warraq Nile Island resist eviction amid UAE-linked real estate development plans

Sabri al-Qot, a 45-year-old plumber from Egypt, says he would rather die than leave the house where he and his children were born.

"This house means everything to us: our past, present, and future," Sabri told The New Arab. "They're putting immense pressure on us and offering money, but we'll never leave."

Sabri is at the heart of a growing conflict with the Egyptian government over the Al-Warraq Island, which is currently in the spotlight.

The residents of Al-Warraq, including Sabri, are involved in this struggle against a multimillion-dollar government plan to transform the island into a real estate hotspot.

The plan includes building residential towers, hotels, tourist attractions, and commercial centres, but it requires removing the island's 100,000 residents — a move they are determined to resist.

A lucrative opportunity for land developers

Al-Warraq is the most strategically positioned of the 144 Nile River islands in Egypt, covering nearly 1,000 acres and situated just kilometres from Cairo’s centre.

The island’s residents live under basic conditions, relying on farming and fishing for their livelihood. Their rural lifestyle features simple houses and streets often littered with waste.

Although the island is in the heart of the Nile, Egypt’s main source of drinking water, it lacks modern sewage systems and clean water, and transportation is limited to three-wheelers and donkey carts.

Although the island is relatively simple, its strategic location has attracted real estate developers who see it as a lucrative investment, planning projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars. However, these development plans have sparked considerable controversy.

Sharif al-Helali, the head of the Arab Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights, has criticised the initiative as a scheme to forcibly displace the island’s residents.

“This isn’t a genuine development plan but a scheme to displace the island’s residents,” Sharif told The New Arab. 

In early July, an Emirati-linked company signed a $500-million deal with a local contractor to build three residential towers and a five-star hotel near the island.

Sharif and other housing rights advocates fear that more similar deals will follow.

The growth that marginalises the poor

The Al-Warraq project is part of a broader series of initiatives aimed at transforming Egypt. These efforts include the creation of new urban communities, the development of extensive road networks and numerous flyovers, a major modernisation of the countryside, and the construction of a new capital city in the desert, with an investment running into billions of dollars.

These developments are designed to improve the lives of millions by easing transportation, enhancing road quality, and replacing unsafe slums.

However, critics argue that these projects place a strain on government finances, leaving limited resources for essential imports and potentially leading Egypt into an economic crisis that requires international loans.

Furthermore, critics claim that these initiatives destroy historical sites, displace residents, and disproportionately benefit the wealthy while marginalising poorer communities. For example, residents in areas such as the Maspero Triangle in Cairo, the Misr al-Kadima Tannery in southern Cairo, and al-Max in Alexandria have been relocated to make way for developments intended for affluent residents.

Regarding the Al-Warraq project, the government has promised to provide fair financial compensation to the island’s residents.

Osama al-Ashmoni, the representative of Al-Warraq in the House of Deputies, stated that the government is offering “fair compensation options,” which include fully furnished flats in the new towers, similar accommodations elsewhere, or land plots.

“The government is not forcing residents out but aims to offer fair compensation,” Osama told The New Arab.

“The island's development will transform it into a major tourist and investment destination, thanks to its prime location.”

A senior official from the Giza Governorate, which oversees the island, declined to comment on the ongoing dispute with the residents.

'Our properties are not just bricks and mortar'

The government's actions regarding Al-Warraq island are influenced by several cabinet decrees. In 1998, the island was designated as a nature reserve. However, in 2018, former Prime Minister Sharif Ismail issued a decree to develop a new urban community on the island.

The current push to evict residents and compensate them is based on this 2018 decree. This has led to strong opposition from residents, who fear that clashes with police enforcing eviction orders could become violent. Many residents argue they have lived on the island for decades and possess legal proof of ownership.

Sabri, whose father was born on the island in 1952, is among those challenging the demolition and eviction orders through legal means. Along with other residents, he is staging peaceful protests to prevent police from entering the island — a rare act of resistance in contemporary Egypt.

Their peaceful opposition has received support from Egyptian civil society and some political groups and Sabri has made it clear that he will not leave his home regardless of the circumstances.

"They think they can compensate us with alternative housing or land elsewhere," says Sabri.

"Our properties are not just bricks and mortar or mud; they are our lives, our memories, and those of our ancestors."

Amr Emam is a Cairo-based journalist. He has contributed to the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Al Majalla