Egyptians suffer as high inflation bites

Seventy million out of Egypt's 95 million people now rely on government ration cards to buy food as the cost of living in the country has increased.

A picture taken on July 26, 2018, during an army-organised tour, shows Egyptians at a public market in El Arish city in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
AFP

A picture taken on July 26, 2018, during an army-organised tour, shows Egyptians at a public market in El Arish city in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

Egyptians have been going through tough times with rising inflation and the devaluation of the currency which have squeezed living standards in the country.

Egypt's economic problems spiralled into a crisis following the 2011 uprising. Last month, the government announced a gas price increase of 50 percent, and it raised the price of electricity by 26 percent. 

"We wonder how can we buy clothes for our kids and feed them as well. Unfortunately, the middle class does not exist. We have a lower and upper class," said Ibrahim, a shopper.

Seventy million Egyptians are dependent on government ration cards to buy food. While clothing prices have shot up more than 150 percent since 2016. 

The International Monetary Fund loaned the government $12 billion in 2016. 

TRT World's Sarah Balter has more.

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