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| Africa North |
| Sinai Bedouin in armed revolt against Egypt, snatch general |
| 2008-11-13 |
| The usual caveats for Debka DEBKAfile's military sources reveal that for five days, around 1,000 armed young Bedouin tribesmen have been holding Egyptian positions along the Sinai-Israeli border south of Rafah to siege. The besiegers, mostly Tarabin, Azazme and Tihama tribesmen, have shut the troops in and reinforcements and supplies out. Egyptian General Mohammed Shaarawai and 50 soldiers were taken hostage until the insurrectionists' demands are met. DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources note that many Bedouin were hunted down and detained by Egyptian police after the string of al Qaeda terrorist attacks against tourists and Egyptians in Sinai between 2004 and 2006 and accused of complicity. Tourists were warned off the scenic peninsula in recent years, taking with them jobs and aggravating Bedouin poverty. Land ownership is a sore point for the semi-nomadic desert tribesmen. Some of their lands on the enchanting Sinai coasts have been impounded for hotel operators. The Bedouin are increasingly hostile to the Egyptian authorities and simmer on the brink of insurrection. I expect that, if push comes to shove, Egyptians will just exterminate Sinai Bedouin---it isn't as if they had to fear the response of "International Community". |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #1 Tribal butt-heads. |
| Posted by: mojo 2008-11-13 17:21 |