CAIRO: Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Abdel Fatah resigned, citing a number of recent protests that have seen Cairo tension rise. Abdel Fatah, who replaced Zahi Hawass, was tipped by local archaeologists as a compromise solution to what had become a lot of infighting between the council and workers in the country. Workers across Egypt have continued to demand raises in the minimum wage and better working conditions and have been participating in a number of strikes, some of which targeted the antiquities headquarters in Cairo. “The load on me was unbearable,” Abdel Fatah told the official MENA news agency. “I refuse to be regarded as a stooge. I felt powerless and overwhelmed especially that I had been deprived of much of my authority,” he said. The head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities reports directly to the cabinet. “Condition have become chaotic and I am afraid to say that the SCA is now completely paralyzed,” he said. The SCA states that its main mission is to “protect and promote the cultural heritage of Egypt.” The military, which took power when Mubarak stepped down, recently decided to expand the application of the country's emergency law to include strikes. BM
