CAIRO – Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been ‘very unwell’ and he is suffering from severe psychological stress after being forced to resign from his post, officials and media reports have said. Ambulances and doctors were seen driving along the private driveway of Mubarak’s mansion in Sharm el-Sheikh, and security guards said that he was not well, The Times reported on Tuesday.
“He is a very, very sick man,” said a security guard, who has worked for Mubarak for three years. Meanwhile, Egyptian Ambassador to Washington Sameh Shoukry has also said that the 82-year-old former autocratic leader was “possibly in somewhat bad health”. Two Egyptian newspapers have claimed that Mubarak was suffering from depression but and that he had refused to take medication. His condition has been shrouded in secrecy during his years in power.
Some reports have claimed that a newspaper editor was even jailed once for raising questions about his wellbeing, the report said. According to some reports, Mubarak had undergone surgery to remove a gall bladder and a benign intestinal tumour in March last year in Germany .Mubarak has been under stress after the country’s army urged him to quit over the massive protests, while his family pressurised him to hold on.
The independent online news site Al-Masry Al-Youm said that Mubarak had an argument with his son and heir-apparent Gamal, who told the former president, “You have ruined my history in Egypt.” Mubarak’s elder son Alaa reportedly accused Gamal of tarnishing the image of their father by helping his business partners to become political leaders and encouraging corruption in the country.
