Today marks the 50th death anniversary of late legendary Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser

CAIRO – 28 September 2020: Today marks the 50th death anniversary of the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, who left our world on September 28, 1970, leaving behind millions of grieving Egyptians, Arabs and Africans.

Nasser led liberation movements in various countries of the world. He set an example for independence and loyalty to the homeland. He was able to be an important cornerstone in Arab and world politics. He was the owner of a well-defined project in Egypt, in its diplomatic relations with Africa, the Arab world and the rest of the world.

Nasser was born on January 15, 1918, in the popular Bakous neighborhood in Alexandria, to a family coming from the village of Bani Murr in Assiut. 

Nasser moved between many primary schools, as his father was always on the move due to his position in the postal service, finishing his primary education in the village of Khatatba, one of the villages in the Egyptian Delta.

He then traveled to Cairo to complete his high school education, and obtained his baccalaureate degree from Al-Nahda Secondary School in Al-Zahir district in Cairo in 1937.

Nasser began his military career at the age of 19, so he tried to join the Military Academy, but his attempt was unsuccessful.  He then decided to study law at the Faculty of Law at Fouad University (now Cairo University), and when the Military Academy announced its acceptance of an exceptional batch, he submitted his papers and this time he succeeded. He graduated with the rank of Second Lieutenant in July 1938.

Nasser worked in Manqabad in Upper Egypt upon his graduation. Then in 1939, he moved to Sudan and was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.

Afterwards, he worked in El-Alamein region in the Western Desert, and was promoted to the rank of Yuzbashi (Captain) in September 1942 and assumed command of the staff of one of the military teams operating there.

In the following year, he was assigned to teach at the Military Academy and stayed there for 3 years until he joined the Military Staff College and graduated on May 12, 1948.

He remained at the Military Staff College until he, along with a group of the “Free Officers”, launched the July Revolution.

Nasser participated in the 1948 war, especially in Ashdod, Ningbo, and Fallujah. The Arab defeat and the establishment of the state of Israel may have pushed Abdel Nasser and his fellow officers to carry out the July 23, 1952 revolution.

Furthermore, Nasser had an important role in forming and leading a secret group in the Egyptian army that called itself the "Free Officers".  The first cell met at his home in July 1949, and the meeting included officers of various affiliations and ideological trends.

In 1950, he was elected Chairman of the Constituent Body of the Free Officers. When the organization expanded, a leadership was elected for the organization, and Abdel Nasser was elected president of that committee.

It was joined by Major General Mohamed Naguib, who later became the first president of the Republic of Egypt after the success of the revolution.