1977 Egyptian Bread Riots - Food Riots

Food Riots

Popular rejection of the announcement was not long in coming: On January 18 and 19, rioting by lower-class people who would have been hardest hit by the cancellation of the subsidies erupted across the country, from Aswan in upper Egypt to Alexandria. For two days, rioters attacked targets that symbolized the prosperity of the middle class and the corruption of the regime, shouting slogans like, "Ya baṭal el-`obūr, fēn el-fotūr?" ("Hero of the Crossing, where is our breakfast?") and "Thieves of the Infitah, the people are famished." There were also shouts of "Nasser, Nasser," in reference to Sadat's predecessor, Gamal Abdel Nasser. The rioting ended when the state abruptly canceled the new policies. 79 people died in the riots, 556 were injured, and over 1,000 people were arrested.

The riots had a strong impact upon the Egyptian government’s subsequent willingness to enact unpopular economic policies. After the riots, according to David Seddon, the Egyptian government was “extremely cautious of provoking popular protest and political unrest through the introduction of drastic austerity measures, and it approached the IMF proposals with care.” Though Egypt signed an Extended Fund Facility in 1978, the government’s failure to adhere to IMF-imposed policy conditions resulted in only a small amount of funds being released. Not until it had paid back most of its debt to the IMF in 1987 did Egypt return to the IMF for a one-year arrangement.