CAIRO — A group of young people disaffected with the Muslim Brotherhood  in several countries, including Qatar, Turkey and Sudan, recently announced their split from the organization to establish Tayyar al-Mostakel (the Independent Movement). The group cited disappointment with Brotherhood policies with regard to detainees in Egyptian prisons and reconciliation with the Egyptian regime. 

The new group issued its first statement Aug. 21 through several media platforms, saying, “The group seeks, through its project, to be the alternative option for those who reject what the Muslim Brotherhood has become with all its failures, chaos abroad and efforts to waste the energies of young people.”

The statement said, “We are set from the very beginning to again tackle the issue of detainees and call on the state to look into this matter to find solutions to reach a settlement acceptable to both parties in a bid to grant freedom to thousands of people whom the organization has turned its back on. We are seeking to find a radical solution to the issue of detainees.” 

Human Rights Watch says the number of political detainees in Egypt, whether belonging to Islamic organizations or civil parties and movements, has exceeded 60,000 since the 2013 fall of President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member, at the hands of the army.