By Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
"CAIRO, Aug 17, 2011 (IPS) - Even before the recent revolution, Egypt's strategic Sinai Peninsula - inhabited mostly by restive Bedouin tribesmen - had a reputation for lawlessness. But in the months since the popular uprising that led to Mubarak's February ouster, the situation in Sinai appears more precarious than ever.
"Sinai is suffering from a serious security vacuum," Hatem al-Bulk, an Egyptian journalist based in the north-eastern Sinai city of Al-Arish, told IPS. "Along with being partially demilitarised according to the terms of the Camp David agreement, Sinai has also been largely devoid of police since the revolution."....
The terms of the 1979 Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel set tight restrictions on Egyptian military deployments throughout the peninsula. The arrangement has made Sinai's entire eastern frontier, including its borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip, a de facto demilitarised zone.
With perhaps Camp David in mind, North Sinai Governor Abdel-Wahab Mabrouk was quick to stress that the recent military deployment - which reportedly included tanks and armoured vehicles - was for "defensive purposes only." On Sunday (Aug 14), Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Israeli officials had "approved the operation."...."
"CAIRO, Aug 17, 2011 (IPS) - Even before the recent revolution, Egypt's strategic Sinai Peninsula - inhabited mostly by restive Bedouin tribesmen - had a reputation for lawlessness. But in the months since the popular uprising that led to Mubarak's February ouster, the situation in Sinai appears more precarious than ever.
"Sinai is suffering from a serious security vacuum," Hatem al-Bulk, an Egyptian journalist based in the north-eastern Sinai city of Al-Arish, told IPS. "Along with being partially demilitarised according to the terms of the Camp David agreement, Sinai has also been largely devoid of police since the revolution."....
The terms of the 1979 Camp David peace agreement between Egypt and Israel set tight restrictions on Egyptian military deployments throughout the peninsula. The arrangement has made Sinai's entire eastern frontier, including its borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip, a de facto demilitarised zone.
With perhaps Camp David in mind, North Sinai Governor Abdel-Wahab Mabrouk was quick to stress that the recent military deployment - which reportedly included tanks and armoured vehicles - was for "defensive purposes only." On Sunday (Aug 14), Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Israeli officials had "approved the operation."...."
No comments:
Post a Comment