Dec 27, 2019

The Donald Trump administration has renewed US commitments to supporting the peacekeeping effort in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula despite growing Pentagon concerns of Russian influence in the region.

The State Department notified Congress of plans to obligate $10 million for the Multinational Force Observers mission, a State Department official told Al-Monitor, a third of the yearly costs that are split with Egypt and Israel.

“These funds will enable the MFO to continue its mission to monitor implementation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and related security arrangements by providing uninterrupted support to the MFO,” the official said, using an acronym for the mission now funded through March 2020.

The United States also puts up money to protect 500 US civilians and military units serving in the area since Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979.

The Trump administration has reaffirmed longstanding US ties with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi strained after the 2013 massacre of protesters in Cairo’s Rabaa Square, approving the release of $1.3 billion in American military aid despite human rights concerns. Trump also granted the Egyptian head of state a White House visit as he sought to extend his rule until 2030 ahead of a successful referendum in April.