15 Jan 2018 | 12:00 AM UTC
Egypt: North Sinai province partially under curfew as of January 13
Authorities place areas of North Sinai province under indefinite curfew as of January 13, including Rafah and Al-Arish
Event
Egyptian authorities imposed an indefinite curfew on areas of North Sinai province on Saturday, January 13. The city of Rafah is under daily curfew from 19:00 to 06:00 (local time), while the provincial capital of Al-Arish faces the restrictions daily from 01:00 to 05:00. According to official sources, the curfew will remain in place as long as the country is under a state of emergency in order to combat terrorist activity.
Context
Egypt remains under a state of emergency, originally declared following IS attacks on churches in Alexandria and Tanta, which killed at least 47 people on Palm Sunday in April 2017.
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 restive Sinai peninsula within the next three months, telling security forces to use "all brute force necessary" to restore security in the region. Previously, Al-Sisi warned that the risk of terrorism had increased in Egypt as IS's major territorial losses in Iraq and Syria have caused many of its militants to travel to Egypt. Such groups operate on a smaller scale outside the peninsula, including in the Nile Delta.
Advice
Individuals in Egypt are advised to follow instructions by authorities at all times. 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 (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.
