During the United Nations Environmental Assembly, the Egyptian Minister for Environment called fellow members "dogs and slaves.
On Friday, May 27th, during the second annual meeting of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) in Narobi, Kenya, the Egyptian Minister for Environment and the President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, Dr. Khaled Mohamed Fahmy Abdel Aal, allegedly called Sub-Saharan members of the assembly "dogs and slaves," Kenyan newspaper The Star reported. Despite the fact the meeting was being held almost entirely in English, Abdel Aal supposedly raised his voice and was speaking in Arabic, according to Kenyan news portal TUKO.The event is thought to have occurred during a heated debate that followed a disagreement over a resolution on the Nile River Dam Project. The Egyptian Minister did not want to approve the resolution and was pushing other Arab and North African representatives to follow suit.
The incident came to attention when a confidential letter from the Chair of the Africa Diplomatic Corps (ADC) Technical Committee, Yvonne Khamati, to the Dean of the Africa Diplomatic Corps Amb. Kelebert Nkomani was leaked to members of the press. Her letter has been posted in its entirety on KTPress. She is requesting that Egypt be banned from representing Africa in any capacity until the Minister apologises.
