Families made homeless by a fire and forced demolitions in the Qalaat Al-Kabsh area of Sayeda Zeinab are determined that their voices be heard Complaints were filed last Thursday with the attorney-general by 150 residents of Qalaat Al-Kabsh who claim the government has reneged on promises to provide them with alternative housing after a fire destroyed their homes in the district of Sayeda Zeinab more than two months ago, reports Reem Leila. They have also demanded the attorney-general investigate incidents of corruption that accompanied the process of allocating flats to families made homeless by the fire, as well as the police brutality to which they say their families have been subjected. Out of 350 families that say their homes were destroyed in the flames, 200 have been provided with alternative houses. The remaining 150 families protested in front of parliament on 30 May, demanding to be relocated, but were prevented by security forces from entering parliament and meeting Fathi Sorour, parliament speaker and MP for the constituency of Sayeda Zeinab. Sherif Faris Mohamed, a resident of Qalaat Al-Kabsh, says the security forces "beat people indiscriminately, and many had to be rushed to hospital." Cairo governorate official Tareq Abdel-Karim Radwan insists that all those who requested rehousing have now been relocated in Al-Nahda and Al-Salam cities. Sorour visited the area last Saturday and reportedly promised that those remaining would have their complaints resolved quickly. The People's Assembly's Local Administration Committee is discussing the latest developments in Qalaat Al-Kabsh. According to Maher El-Derby, head of the committee, members have already met governorate officials and discussed with them the possibility of rehousing the remaining 150 families. "The Cairo governorate has promised to provide all victims of the fire with alternative houses provided they can prove they were residents of the area in the first place," says El-Derby. "We are now compiling a list of names of those affected by the fire as well as the families that suffered from last week's demolitions," says Ahmed Helmi, assistant secretary-general of Cairo governorate. Helmi said that an earlier list, compiled by his deputy, contained the names of 129 families who had neither been involved in the March fire nor last week's demolitions. "Many of the names on the list were of people falsely claiming they had lost their homes in the fire," he insisted. A report issued by the Egyptian Centre for Housing Rights (ECHR) says 5,000 central security soldiers, 200 bulldozers, 150 cleaning workers from the Cairo governorate, three fire engines and three ambulances arrived on 29 May to complete the demolitions required by the latest phase of plans to upgrade the area, first approved in 2001. The report continued that resident families were given insufficient notice to vacate the area: in some cases families were informed their houses were to be demolished just minutes before the bulldozers moved in. ECHR also reports the detention of several residents who protested against the demolitions. Yasser Mustafa Kamel suffered serious injury after he was, he says, beaten by security personnel around the head. Journalists and lawyers were prevented from approaching the area as the demolitions took place. "We condemn the actions of the central security forces and demand that Qalaat Al-Kabsh citizens be relocated," said Manal El-Tibi, head of ECHR.
