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| Africa: North |
| Sinai tribes make security pledge |
| 2004-12-20 |
| Tribes in the Sinai Peninsula have renewed their allegiance to Egypt's president and pledged to cooperate with security, in a move which could be aimed at easing a security crackdown. Rights activists reported last month that Egyptian police had detained 2500 people in Sinai and tortured many of them in the hunt for those behind the 7 October bombings targeting Israeli tourists in Taba and two other resorts, which killed at least 34 people. Egypt's official Middle East News Agency reported the news from Sinai on Monday. It said the tribes signed a letter affirming "their complete commitment not to shelter any person wanted by security", and said they would cooperate by reporting anyone under suspicion. The security pledges were in a letter signed by tribal shaikhs and other notables at a meeting in Ras al-Sudr in Sinai. Although it is not uncommon for tribal and community leaders to vow allegiance to President Husni Mubarak, activists say such acts are usually associated with events such as new terms of political office and rarely include pledges to help security. |
| Posted by:Fred |