This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
International highway closes in Egypt in clashes to uproot squatters The attack on workers of the Central Administration for Protecting Arable Lands by the squatters they were trying to remove caused the closure of an int'l highway in Egypt
Egyptian police Monday blocked the international coastal highway at Mansoura/Gamasa in Egypt as clashes erupted between residents and an official campaign to combat the illegal seizure of state land. The campaign to remove encroachments on state land was launched yesterday, but was suspended hours later as angry citizens clashed with campaign members, throwing stones at them to prevent them from demolishing their buildings. The Central Administration for Protecting Arable Lands issued a report in April that revealed 108,316 cases of encroachments on arable land in the Nile Valley and Delta within 66 days, specifically since the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution to 31 March. According to the report, about 2600 of those who infringed on the lands have been removed, while more than 105,000 remain. Five governorates had more than 10,000 violations each: Beheira had the highest with 23,000 incidents, followed by Monofiya, Gharbiya, Daqahliya and Sharqiya governorates. Port Said, Suez, Cairo and New Valley governorates did not have any reported encroachments. High-level ministry of agriculture sources attributed the outbreak of encroachments to the loose security situation in Egypt and the absence of police during the revolution.
