Egypt Gov't Deplored for Failing to Protect Fleeing Christians
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is facing criticism for his failure to protect Coptic Christians. The religious sector is suffering from worsening persecution by Islamic militants despite his instructions to security forces "to completely eradicate terrorism in northern Sinai and defeat any attempts to target civilians or to undermine the unity of the national fabric."
Mina Thabet, a researcher of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, pointed to el-Sisi's failure to provide a minimum level of security despite public threats by ISIS. "This was a test to the government," she told Fox News. "It failed and its management of the crisis was terrible," she added.
Youssef Tawfiq, whose father Gamal was shot dead two weeks ago, couldn't help but express his frustration to CNN for being abandoned by the government. "I feel like I am carrying a mountain over my shoulders," he said. "We loved our country but our country doesn't love us," he continued.
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The northern part of the Sinai Peninsula been a battleground since 2011, beginning with the 18-day uprising that led to the ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak. This was followed by a campaign to overthrow President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.
El-Sisi's rise to power didn't ease the tension in the region as he sought to stop the infiltration of militants through tunnels from neighboring Gaza. The strategy involved burning hundreds of houses. The militants retaliated with suicide bombings that killed 30 soldiers which prompted the declaration of a state of calamity in 2014.
North Sinai Deputy Police Chief Major Gen. Mosta al-Razaz assured that they are capable of handling the crisis and have added more patrols and checkpoints in response to the spate of killings. But this wasn't enough to make the Christians feel secure. "The government does nothing," Munir Adel, one of the evacuees told Reuters. "There is no security in Sinai, they can't even protect themselves. It was an officer who told us to leave," he continued.
