Conflicting reports from Egyptian media indicate that deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is seriously ill and that his poor health may stem in part from depression over his fall from power and fights with his wife and son.
The 82-year-old former ruler of Egypt for 30 years is now believed to be in the Sinai Peninsula's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh as questions swirl about the alleged billions accrued by the Mubarak family over the years and where the money might be stashed.
Mubarak "is possibly in somewhat of bad health," Egypt's ambassador to the U.S. said today on NBC's "Today" show.
Asked for details about whether Mubarak had a stroke, Ambassador Sameh Shoukry said that "from an official perspective, I have no information related to the ex-president's health." However, he had heard from personal friends indicating the former president was not in good health, Shoukry said.
Mubarak reportedly left Cairo for the resort just hours before it was announced Friday that he had stepped down as president. Mubarak's resignation came after 18 days of enormous, daily protests in Egypt aimed at his ouster.
On Sunday, the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm went so far as to say that the former ruler was so sick that he had "slipped into a coma."
But another daily paper, the pro-government Al-Gomhuria, reported today that Mubarak was not in a coma but in a "severe psychological condition and is declining treatment despite his illness." That paper claimed that sources close to Mubarak gave it the information.
Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted sources saying that Mubarak fought with his wife, Suzanne, and son Gamal over how to manage the political crisis.
The newspaper reported that Mubarak told his son, "You got me into this, you and your mother. You have ruined my history in Egypt."
The exact nature of Mubarak's health is as much a question mark as his whereabouts, according to The Washington Post. There is no real proof yet that Mubarak is at the resort.
The Post reported that Mubarak has not been in good health since a trip to Germany last year for gall bladder surgery in Heidelberg. He underwent surgery in March to remove an inflamed gallbladder and a benign tumor in his duodenum. German news magazine Der Spiegel reported last week that Mubarak was planning to return to Germany for treatment.
The Post quoted highly placed sources in Egypt saying that Mubarak had flown to the resort Friday but had then continued on to the United Arab Emirates and from there to Germany.
However, German officials told the Post that Mubarak was not in Germany, saying that they should know since he would need a visa to enter.
Meanwhile, a group has been formed on Facebook, the same social network used by protesters to help fuel their demonstrations and bring Mubarak down, to organize a "respectful" farewell for him, Ahram Online reported.
Sponsored LinksA farewell ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 18 in front of Mubarak's Heliopolis residence.
Rana El-Molla, 21, explained the farewell ceremony as a way not to condone Mubarak's rule but to give his departure some dignity.
"Mubarak has made fatal mistakes, yet we all contributed in the corruption, from breaking traffic laws to not voting in the elections," El-Molla told Ahram Online. "Bush was a murderer yet stepped down in an honorable way, so the least we can do to our former leader is to show respect."
Some of the protesters will also join the farewell.
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