Hussein Tantawi | |
|---|---|
حسين طنطاوي | |
 Tantawi in 2002 | |
| Chairman of theSupreme Council of the Armed Forces | |
| In office 11 February 2011 – 30 June 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Deputy | Sami Anan |
| Preceded by | Hosni Mubarak(asPresident) |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Morsi(as President) |
| Secretary General of theNon-Aligned Movement | |
| In office 11 February 2011 – 30 June 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Hosni Mubarak |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Morsi |
| Minister of Defense and Military Production | |
| In office 20 May 1991 – 12 August 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Sabri Abu Taleb |
| Succeeded by | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1935-10-31)31 October 1935 |
| Died | 21 September 2021(2021-09-21) (aged 85) Cairo, Egypt[1] |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | Egyptian Military Academy |
| Awards |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Egypt |
| Branch/service |  Egyptian Army |
| Years of service | 1955–2012 |
| Rank |  Field Marshal |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief of theArmed Forces |
| Battles/wars | |
Muhammad Hussein Tantawi Soliman (Arabic:محمد حسين طنطاوي سليمان,romanized: Muḥammad Ḥusayn Ṭanṭāwī Sulaymān; 31 October 1935 – 21 September 2021) was an Egyptianfield marshal and politician. He was the commander-in-chief of theEgyptian Armed Forces[2] and, as chairman of theSupreme Council of the Armed Forces, was thede factohead of state from the ousting of PresidentHosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011 until the inauguration ofMohamed Morsi aspresident of Egypt on 30 June 2012.
Tantawi served in the government asMinister of Defense and Military Production from 1991 until Morsi ordered him to retire on 12 August 2012.
Tantawi, who was ofNubian origin,[3][4] joined theEgyptian Military Academy in 1952 and received his commission as an Army officer on 1 April 1955 in the infantry. The following year he took part in theSuez War (or the Tripartite Aggression as it is often known in Egypt) as an infantry platoon commander. He was promoted tomajor in 1961 and commanded an infantry company inYemen during theNorth Yemen Civil War. Later in his career he was involved in theSix-Day War of 1967 as a battalion commander, theWar of Attrition of 1967–1970, and theOctober orYom Kippur War of 1973. During theYom Kippur War he was alieutenant colonel commanding the 16th mechanized infantry battalion. He held various command and staff appointments including both the Chief of Staff and then Commander of the Second Field Army between 1986 and 1989. Additionally he served as amilitary attaché toPakistan between 1983 and 1985, an important role given the two countries'political and military links. Tantawi served as a Commander of theRepublican Guard Forces between 1989 and 1991, and later a Chief of the Operations Authority of the Armed Forces. In 1991, he also commanded an Egyptian Army unit in the U.S.-ledGulf War againstIraq to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, which it had invaded in 1990.
On 29 May 1991, following the dismissal ofColonel GeneralYoussef Sabri Abu Taleb, Tantawi was promoted to lieutenant general rank and appointed minister of defense and military production and commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces. After one month he was promoted to general colonel rank, which he held for two years before being promoted to the rank offield marshal, the highest rank in the Egyptian military, in 1993. It is believed that Tantawi would have succeeded Mubarak asPresident of Egypt had theassassination attempt in June 1995 been successful.[5] Early in 2011, Tantawi was seen as a possible contender for the Egyptian presidency.[6]
Robert Springborg wrote that "Foreign military professionals... liken[ed] Tantawi to the CEO of the largest corporate conglomerate in Egypt" because his primary concern was the economic well-being of the military, not the performance of its nominal tasks and duties.[7]
On 11 February 2011, when PresidentHosni Mubarak resigned, after 18 days of protests from the Egyptian people,Field Marshal Tantawi transferred authority to theSupreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by himself. The council, overseeing issues with the Chairman of theSupreme Constitutional Court,Farouk Sultan, dissolved the Egyptian parliament,[8] oversaw thereferendum over temporary constitutional amendments which took place on 19 March, and presided over summons to justice, for accountability, ofAir Chief Marshal Mubarak and many of the former regime's top figures.
On a personal level, Tantawi kept a relatively low profile since the handing over of power to the council, only making a first public appearance in an address to mark the graduation of a batch at the Police Academy on 16 May 2011. He opted to leave most public speeches and press releases to other senior members in the council; he also appointedPrime MinisterEssam Sharaf and his cabinet. Tantawi also received a number of foreign officials, includingBritish Prime MinisterDavid Cameron andU.S. Secretary of StateHillary Clinton.
After a new series of protests in November 2011, that escalated by 22 November to over 33 dead and over 2,000 injured in the wake of the use of force by the police to quell protests atTahrir Square and its vicinity, Tantawi appeared on Egyptian national television to pledge the speeding up of presidential elections – the principal demand of protesters – and that the armed forces "are fully prepared to immediately hand over power and to return to their original duty in protecting the homeland if that's what the people want, through a popular referendum if necessary."[9]
On 12 August 2012, Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi ordered Tantawi to retire as head of the armed forces and defence minister.[10] Tantawi was decorated with theOrder of the Nile and appointed, instead, as an advisor to Morsi; there was speculation that his removal was part of a pre-arranged withdrawal by the military from political power in exchange for immunity from prosecution for earlier actions.[11]
Criticism ofField Marshal Tantawi in Egypt was manyfold,[12] including many chants in Tahrir for him to leave.[13] Chants against Tantawi included "Tantawi stripped your women naked, come join us."[14] Protesters also "demanded the execution of Tantawi."[15]
Nabeel Rajab, the head ofBahrain Centre for Human Rights, criticized Tantawi for his reception forHamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,King of Bahrain, in October 2011. "This is a very bad message from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to the international community, the Egyptian and Bahraini people", he said. "Continuing this path threatens Egypt's democratic future", he added.[16]
Tantawi died on 21 September 2021, following a period of ill health.[17][18]
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Saudi Arabia : Grand Cordon of theOrder of King AbdulazizSaudi Arabia : Special Class of theKuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait : First Class of theKuwait Liberation Medal
Mauritania : Grand Cordon of theOrder of National Merit
Pakistan : Grand Cordon of theNishan-e-Imtiaz
Portugal : Grand Cross of theOrder of Prince Henry
Tunisia : Commander of theOrder of the Republic
United Kingdom : Knight of theOrder of St Michael and St George
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of theArmed Forces 1991–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byasPresident of Egypt | Chairman of theSupreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt 2011–2012 | Succeeded by SCAF dissolved |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Defense and Military Production 1991–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byasPresident of Egypt | Head of state of Egypt 2011–2012 | Succeeded byasPresident of Egypt |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary General of theNon-Aligned Movement 2011–2012 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
