Egypt: Army ramps up demolition of homes in North Sinai

Event

The Egyptian army has reportedly increased the demolition of homes, commercial buildings, and farms in North Sinai province since February 2018 as part of its Comprehensive Operation - Sinai 2018 campaign against Islamic State (IS) militants in the area. According to Human Rights Watch, the military has destroyed hundreds of hectares of agricultural land and 3000 homes and commercial buildings since February which - in addition to 600 more buildings destroyed in January - is the largest such demolition campaign since the army initially began evicting residents in 2014, and has resulted in the displacement of thousands of people in the area. Additional military operations are expected in North Sinai province in the coming weeks as Sinai 2018 continues.

Context

As of mid-May, nearly 300 people, including dozens of security forces personnel, are estimated to have been killed since Comprehensive Operation - Sinai 2018 was launched in February.

The Sinai Peninsula has been the epicenter of frequent attacks by IS-affiliated militants since 2013 - usually targeting security forces or minority Coptic Christians. In November 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered the Egyptian military to stabilize the area. Previously, Al-Sisi had warned that the risk of terrorism had increased in Egypt as IS suffered major territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, pushing many of its militants to travel to Egypt. Such groups also operate on a smaller scale outside the peninsula.

Egypt remains under a state of emergency, originally declared following IS attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta that killed some 50 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.

Advice

In general, due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (e.g. public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula due to the persistent terrorist threat.