An international conference held in Montreux (Switzerland) from 2 to 5 April 2014 examined current relationships between the armed forces and civil authorities in Egypt. The Geneva Centre for the Security Sector Governance(DCAF), the organiser of the conference, brought together experts on civil-military relations from four continents. The conference discussions concluded that civil-military relations are essential to Egypt’s future. They will directly impact political reconciliation, the functioning of state institutions and civil society, citizen security, and human rights. The conference further concluded that Egypt's prospects for economic recovery and social stability would be bleak if relationships between its civilian and military institutions were not redefined and rendered consistent with existing international standards.
The conference recommended that Egypt task a non-partisan transition team to create an inclusive platform in order to discuss the development of a new vision of civil-military relations. The conference also recommended that DCAF should establish an international working group to promote information exchange on civil-military relations in Egypt.
Egypt's armed forces presently enjoy widespread domestic support. International experts at the conference expressed their belief that the armed forces should capitalize on this support by building bridges with civilian institutions and organizations. By doing so, they could help Egypt find a path out of its current crisis and restore its international standing.
You can download the conference report here.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Andrea Cellino
Head of North Africa Desk
+41 22 730 9532
In June 2014, DCAF launched an online observatory – Marsad – to monitor security sector developments in Egypt: www.marsad.eg and www.marsad-egypt.info
Marsad Egypt is a bi-lingual (Arabic and English) website that covers information and issues related to the Egyptian security sector and its actors. Marsad seeks to contribute to an informed and inclusive debate on security sector governance. Marsad Egypt operates on a non-partisan and independent basis.
DCAF welcomes any feedback and comments on the content and structure of Marsad Egypt via info@marsad.eg and contact@marsad-egypt.info
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