EGYPT: Army intensifies Sinai home demolitions – HRW

A rights group has accused the Egyptian army of unlawfully destroying thousands of homes, businesses and farmland in northern Sinai, as part of its campaign against the ISIS group. Using satellite imagery and local testimony, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday that many lifelong residents of Sinai have been displaced as […]

A rights group has accused the Egyptian army of unlawfully destroying thousands of homes, businesses and farmland in northern Sinai, as part of its campaign against the ISIS group.

Using satellite imagery and local testimony, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday that many lifelong residents of Sinai have been displaced as a result of at least 3,000 homes and commercial buildings being destroyed by the Egyptian military.

The army is waging a campaign in the area against a group affiliated with ISIS. 

HWR also accused the Egyptian military of demolishing several homes in al-Arish, “in retaliation against terrorism suspects, political dissidents, and their relatives.” But the destruction, much of which is “likely unlawful” according to the group, has extended beyond the two government-designated security buffer zones in the cities of al-Arish and Rafah.