Desert truce for Bedouins
09/10/2007 18:35 - (SA)
El Arish, Egypt - Bedouin tribesman and locals from this northern Sinai Peninsula town agreed to a temporary truce Tuesday following two days of violent clashes that injured dozens and led to the arrests of 91 people, local government officials and lawmakers said.
Trouble started on Saturday evening when scores of masked Bedouins from the el-Tarabeen tribe opened fire in a dispute with the local el-Fawakhriya clan, wounding three people and damaging shops and cars. Thousands took to the streets demanding better protection from raids by the semi-nomadic Bedouin.
The disturbance escalated on Sunday when thousands of demonstrators destroyed the regional headquarters of Egypt's ruling party, burning furniture and blocking roads in a show of anger over the central government's treatment of area residents.
Dawn truce for desert town
Dozens were injured in clashes when plainclothes police attacked the demonstrators with batons, tear gas and metal chains, police and witnesses said. Two police officers were also injured.
Representatives from the el-Tarabeen tribe and the el-Fawakhriya clan met at dawn on Tuesday at the headquarters of the northern Sinai governor to negotiate the truce, which stipulated that both sides would hand over the gunmen who started the fighting, said lawmaker Hossam Shahin.
The two sides also promised to pay compensation to the government and citizens for damage caused during the disturbance, said lawmaker Abdel Hamid Selmi. The two groups would meet next week to continue the talks, the lawmakers added.
Northern Sinai governor Ahmed Abdel Hamid said 91 people had been arrested since Saturday. They face charges of rioting, resisting arrest and causing public damage.
Three activists still at large
Three political activists suspected of inciting the riots are still at large, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
The disturbance was the latest incident to rock the impoverished northern Sinai, where Bedouins make their living smuggling weapons, drugs and people across the border to Israel. Bomb attacks on tourists have resulted in heavy security crackdowns in recent years.
Last month, thousands of Bedouins burnt tires and blocked roads across the Sinai Peninsula protesting their mistreatment at the hands of the government.
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