Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CAIRO1933
2007-06-25 06:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

GOE-BEDOUIN TENSION OVER SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Tags:  PREL PTER PHUM EG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0269
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #1933/01 1760647
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 250647Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5814
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001933 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2012
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM EG
SUBJECT: GOE-BEDOUIN TENSION OVER SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Classified By: ECPO Counselor Catherine Hill-Herndon
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001933

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2012
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM EG
SUBJECT: GOE-BEDOUIN TENSION OVER SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Classified By: ECPO Counselor Catherine Hill-Herndon
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Tension between the Bedouin of Egypt's Sinai
Peninsula and the GOE has remained high since late April when
up to 2,000 Bedouin staged a sit-in on Egypt's border with
Israel, alleging that GOE security and development policies
discriminate against them. Despite several meetings between
Bedouin tribal leaders, North Sinai Governor General Ahmed
Abdel Hamid, People's Assembly representatives and Egyptian
security officials, a GOE official said, addressing Bedouin
grievances will be difficult in the absence of a
comprehensive GOE socio-economic development strategy, which
does not yet exist. Bedouin tribal leaders have threatened
to resume their protests if the GOE fails to address their
grievances by July 1. End summary.

Protests prompt negotiations
--------------


2. (SBU) Long-simmering tension between the Bedouin of
Egypt's Sinai and the GOE threatens to flare again on July 1
if GOE officials do not address Bedouin claims that GOE
security and development policies discriminate against them.
Periodic peaks in Bedouin-OE friction have occurred for some
years, but themost recent episode has persisted since
late-April when as many as 2,000 Bedouin held a multi-day
protest on Egypt's border with Israel demanding permission to
emigrate following the April 25 death of two Bedouin whose
vehicle crashed after an encounter with police. One of the
vehicle's occupants died after being shot by police when the
driver reportedly refused to stop at a security check-point.


3. (C) Spurred by the protests, Bedouin tribal leaders and
GOE officials, including North Sinai Governor Ahmed Abdel
Hamid, members of the People's Assembly, and security service
officials, launched discussions to address Bedouin
grievances. According to a GOE source, the parties have made
only modest progress on security issues; meeting the Bedouin
demands is unlikely. During a June 14 meeting with GOE
officials, the Bedouin threatened to resume their border
protests if the GOE does not meet their demands by July 1.


Bedouin Political, Social, Economic Demands; GOE Response
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Bedouin leaders allege that the GOE systematically
discriminates against them by failing to integrate them into
Egypt's politicl, developmental, and social framework while
refuing to acknowledge their traditions and customs. he
demands of the group at the center of the current dispute,
and the status of GOE responses, as available, are as
follows:

-- Security: The Bedouin seek the release of the "thousands"
of Bedouin they allege the Ministry of Interior (MOI) has
detained since the terrorist attacks of 2004, 2005, and 2006.
They also ask to deal with Ministry of Defense (MOD)
representatives, rather than MOI police, claiming the police
are culturally insensitive and use unjustifiable force with
them. According to a GOE source, the Bedouin object to the
police tactics towards Bedouin women and their "interference"
with Bedouin commercial activities. The source also said the
MOD cannot serve as the point of contact for the Bedouin
because the limits on MoD forces in the demilitarized Sinai
would preclude proper oversight. However, he said, the GOE
"Higher Security Committee" is reviewing the Bedouin demands,
released some detainees following the June 14 meeting with
tribal leaders, and may agree to release Bedouin who are not
held on terrorism-related charges.

-- Justice: The Bedouin seek assurances that the GOE will
prosecute police officers found to use excessive force in
dealing with Bedouin. They specifically demand the
prosecution of the officer who fired on the Bedouin vehicle
on April 25, thereby killing an occupant. GOE officials said
police conduct on April 25 was appropriate because the driver
did not stop, as required, at the police check-point.

-- Land ownership: The Bedouin ask the GOE to recognize
their rights (under customary law) to own land. They
complain that since the 1990s, the Tourism Development
Authority (TDA),responsible for non-urban development, has
regulated land sales, which customary law previously
governed, thereby barring them from land they previously
settled and requiring them to settle in undeveloped Central
Sinai. A GOE official said recognizing customary land
ownership rights would be complex given the focus on tourism
development in the Sinai.

-- Economic opportunities: The Bedouin request more
employment opportunities, particularly in tourism. They
allege that tourism industry employers favor non-Bedouin for
employment in hotels, restaurants and shops and that the GOE
monopolizes prime agricultural and industrial opportunities.
For example, the army owns North Sinai's only olive oil
factory. Bedouin MPs from North Sinai told emboff that the
GOE is working to create economic opportunities to benefit
the Bedouin, for example, through a cement factory expansion.

-- Development: The Bedouin seek easier access to potable
water and greater GOE focus on overall Sinai development.
Agriculture demands have taxed ground water reserves, and
prices for drinking water have risen steadily. Some Bedouin
own wells and serve as their own distributors, but others
have requested that the GOE provide a piped distribution
system, or other network to ensure a reliable drinking water
supply. On Sinai development overall, the European
Commission recently announced a USD 74.2 million development
grant that will focus on infrastructure (water and waste
management) and poverty alleviation in South Sinai. A GOE
official commented that many investors and development
proposals exist, but the GOE has traditionally preferred to
focus on Cairo and Alexandria and does not have a
comprehensive development strategy for the Sinai. He
predicted that development proposals would largely remain in
the planning stage for the foreseeable future.

-- Education: The Bedouin seek equal access for their
children to primary and secondary education, alleging that
teachers discriminate against their children in school. The
GOE denies this charge.


Possible Outcomes
--------------


5. (C) A GOE source with direct knowledge of the state of
Bedouin-GOE negotiations said that because of the complex
cultural, social, and economic factors at play, there is no
easy solution to the Bedouin-GOE problem. He predicted that
short term measures, such as the release of some detainees,
would help defuse some of the tension and cited ongoing
discussions as a positive sign. But unless the GOE takes
concrete steps to address the socio-economic aspect of the
Bedouin concerns, Bedouin reliance on smuggling, which has
recently received increasing international attention and is
another source of GOE-Bedouin tension, will likely continue.
The Bedouin threat to resume protests on July 1 may prompt
additional negotiations and even minor concessions in the
coming week, but a complete resolution on all issues is
unlikely.
JONES