SINAI - Egyptian Bedouin in Sinai have expressed joy over the police's release of more than 100 detainees in recent weeks and urged the Interior Ministry to ease its armed presence in the central part of the peninsula.
"The release of Bedouin detainees is fully appreciated. It's a move we have awaited for a long time. However, more releases are still expected," said Moussa el-Daleh, a spokesman for Central Sinai Bedouin.
El-Daleh asked Minister of the Interior Habib el-Adly to reduce the number of police personnel deployed in Sinai.
"The heavy presence of police vehicles and personnel makes the Bedouin feel tense. They are not used to such moves," he said.
During the last two weeks, the Interior Ministry has released around 131 Bedouin who had been detained by administrative orders and who were not wanted for criminal or political cases, according to Murad Muwafi, the Governor of North Sinai.
The releases, which were a key demand of tribal leaders who met with el-Adly in Cairo last month, are the latest in a series of steps designed to reduce local tensions in Egypt's strategic Sinai Peninsula near the border with Israel and Gaza.
El-Daleh, meanwhile, thanked President Hosni Mubarak for focusing on the development of Sinai and being keen on providing stability for the area's Bedouin.
"We always know that Mubarak's decisions favour Sinai and its Bedouin inhabitants," he said, rejecting a declaration by newly released Bedouin novelist Mossaad Abu Fajr.
Upon his release a week ago, Abu Fajr announced his support of the call for change adopted by Mohamed ElBaradei, the former chief of the UN nuclear agency, who is a potential presidential candidate.
"Bedouin support President Hosni Mubarak. Anyone who says something different is representing himself only," el-Daleh said, calling on Abu Fajr to focus on “more important and pressing issues” for the bedouin.
Police detained thousands of Bedouin, members of nomadic Arab tribes of Sinai, after a series of bombings at tourist resorts in South Sinai in 2004 – 2006. Relations have grown more strained, with sporadic clashes with security forces.
"The Bedouin are not against investment, development or law. We are waiting for honest efforts to develop Sinai and reduce unemployment," el-Daleh said. He pointed out that the Bedouin would hold a public conference on July 25 to tackle their situation.
The Bedouin complain about neglect by the Egyptian Government and say they do not see any benefits from booming tourism in Sinai.
They say tough economic conditions have led some of their people to resort to smuggling and other activities that the State considers criminal.
