1st LD: Curfew in Egypt's Sinai extended by 3 months
Xinhua, January 25, 2015 Adjust font size:
The Egyptian Cabinet decided on Sunday to extend the curfew in Northern Sinai for three months, ending in April 25, official MENA news agency reported.
Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab signed on Sunday the decree of extending the curfew in Northern Sinai. The extended period started from Sunday.
On Oct. 25, Egypt announced a three-month curfew and a state of emergency in some parts of North Sinai following a blast targeted a big military checkpoint in North Sinai's Sheikh Zuweid city, leaving more than 30 soldiers killed and tens of others injured.
Last December, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered the night curfew in Sinai Peninsula to be cut by three hours.
Sunday also marks the fourth anniversary of the January 25 uprising. Although security measures have been tightened on the main streets and squares of Cairo and other main cities since several days ago, multiple protests developing to clashes took place all over the country since earlier Sunday and had resulted in several people's deaths.
According to Egypt's Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, two people were killed while attempting to plant an explosive devise on a bridge in Behira province, and clashes in Alexandria province left one protester killed.
January 25 is a national holiday marking the start of 18-day nationwide protests which forced Hosni Mubarak out of office in 2011.
The 2011 popular uprising toppled Mubarak and brought the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi to office in 2012, who was later ousted by the military in July 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule. Endit