A. Background and UN Involvement Almost a year ago, Egypt erupted into civil unrest when protesters invaded Tahrir Square, demanding an end to Hosnia Mubarak's regime. Even though Mubarak resigned within two weeks, Egypt's situation is worse today than it was last January. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which played a vital role in the January revolution, has now become a violent and oppressive force. On December 29, 2011, SCAF raided seventeen Egyptian, German, and American NGOs for evidence of illegal foreign funding.1 In a statement (A/HRC/18/NGO/77) submitted by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and the Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance Center, it was reported that the ruling military council was monitoring illegally NGO banking transactions and NGOs claimed they were targeted by SCAF. Furthermore, the SCAF is reluctant to transfer power to a civilian government. When the SCAF took power in mid-February, it declared that it would only hold power for six months, or until elections could be held. Currently, the SCAF insists on retaining power until the constitution is drafted and presidential elections are held, which is six months from now.2 Some Egyptians believe that the SCAF is trying to delay the constitution-drafting process, in order to to be able to retain power longer. period of time. Another increasingly pressing issue concerns police brutality against protesters, particularly women. During the "Maspero Protests" on October 9, 2011, peaceful Egyptian demonstrators in Maspiro were attacked by military police, leaving 25 dead and 272 injured.3 In response to images of soldiers beating and stripping women... . middle of paper ...... protests and the SCAF. Hopefully, through these talks, Egyptian civilians will be able to express their opinions in a non-violent and non-confrontational manner. Germany is also offering Egypt assistance in elections or other democratic processes to speed up the transfer of power to a civilian government. With these solutions, peace and order will be restored to Egypt and the Egyptian people will be free and prosperous. /www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12443678 3http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/10/world/meast/egypt-protest-clashes/index.html?hpt= wo_c2 4 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/world/middleeast/violence-enters-5th-day-as-egyptian-general-blames-protesters.html?pagewanted=all 5 http:// www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Aussenpolitik/Laender/Laenderinfos/01-Nodes/Aegypten_node.html