Prime Minister imposes curfew in areas of North Sinai

CAIRO – 9 July 2017: Prime Minister Sherif Ismail imposed a curfew in parts of North Sinai governorate on Sunday, two days after terrorist attacks targeted military personnel in the Rafah area.

The areas subject to curfew start from east of Rafah Hill, passing the international border line from Al-Awja west of Arish to the Halal Mountain.

The curfew will start from Monday 10 July and conclude with end of the existing state of emergency as declared by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. Sisi announced a three month state of emergency in April following the Palm Sunday attacks on two Egyptian churches in Alexandria and Tanta.

The curfew hours will extend from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the abovementioned area, while the distance between the city of Arish and the international road will be from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m..In October 2014, the first state of emergency was imposed following two attacks that killed more than 30 soldiers in Sheikh Zuweid and Arish.

The latest curfew is imposed as a part of an escalated military campaign that is taking place in the peninsula to combat the rise of militancy which targeted army and police posts and personnel since the 2013 ousting of President Mohamed Morsi