After getting rid of the old dictator mubarak, Egypt just ended up with another one. whether thats good or bad is up to normal day egyptians.
The
Rabaa massacre occurred on
August 14, 2013, when Egyptian security forces and military units launched a violent crackdown to disperse two massive protest camps in Cairo. It is widely considered the largest mass killing of demonstrators in a single day in modern history. [
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The Background
Six weeks prior to the massacre, Egypt's military leader (and now president)
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a military coup that overthrew
Mohamed Morsi, the nation's first democratically elected president. Morsi was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Following the coup, tens of thousands of Morsi’s supporters converged on two major Cairo locations—
Rabaa al-Adawiya Square and
al-Nahda Square—to stage peaceful sit-ins demanding his reinstatement. The protesters built a self-sustaining tent city with kitchens, clinics, and administrative sectors that operated around the clock for over 45 days. [
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The Crackdown
Just after dawn on August 14, armoured military vehicles, bulldozers, and snipers surrounded Rabaa Square, blocking off the major exits. [
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- The Attack: Over a 12-hour period, security forces systematically fired live ammunition into the densely crowded square and deployed snipers from nearby rooftops. [1, 2]
- Tactics: Bulldozers tore through makeshift barricades while tents and buildings—including local mosques converted into makeshift morgues—were burned. [1, 2, 3]
- Armed Claims: While the state narrative alleged that the sit-in was heavily armed, a comprehensive investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW)
found that the vast majority of protesters were unarmed, identifying only 15 guns among the roughly 85,000 people present. [1, 2]
Death Toll
The exact number of casualties remains contested due to restrictions and government suppression, but rights groups agree the toll was catastrophic: [
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| Source | Reported Casualties |
|---|
| Egyptian Health Ministry | 624 (including 595 protesters and 43 police officers) |
| Human Rights Watch (HRW) | At least 817 in Rabaa and 87 in al-Nahda (likely exceeding 1,000+ total) |
| Local Rights Groups | Up to 2,600 dead, with hundreds still completely unaccounted for |
The Aftermath and Impunity
In its landmark report
"All According to Plan", Human Rights Watch concluded that the dispersal was a premeditated attack planned at the highest levels of the Egyptian government and likely constituted a
crime against humanity. [
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In the decade following the massacre, the Egyptian government has systematically suppressed documentation of the event. Rabaa Square was physically redesigned and renamed to prevent future demonstrations. While thousands of protesters and journalists were arrested, tried in mass courts, or sentenced to death,
no member of the Egyptian security forces or military has ever been charged or held accountable for the killings. [
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