Despite government promises, victims of the Qalaat Al-Kabash blaze continue to live under dire conditions. Reem Leila walks through the debris On 20 March, a fire engulfed the poverty- stricken shanty area of Qalaat Al-Kabash in the popular Cairene district of Al-Sayeda Zeinab, destroying almost 300 wooden and cardboard shacks, and left about 1,000 people homeless. Most of the families were unable to save any of their belongings as fire quickly spread through their homes. Their situation has barely improved since that forsaken day. Eighteen people were injured in the blaze, allegedly caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder in one of the wooden huts. It spread quickly because of strong winds, and it took some 45 fire engines four hours to put out the blaze. One week later, the smell of rot fills the air, burnt furniture is strewn on the roadway, scorched clothes are scattered everywhere, and there is neither water nor electricity in sight. Sick children lie in the street next to their helpless parents who themselves suffer from inflammations caused by police tear gas used one day after the blaze. The tear gas was directed to the crowds, when the homeless victims staged a protest against government negligence in front of parliament, demanding new housing after the fire burnt the entire shantytown to the ground. "Is this a cheap and effective way to get rid of the place and its inhabitants?" wondered Ibrahim Hassan, a resident. Most families have spent their nights and days on the street or in mosques. Residents threw stones at Central Security forces who stormed Qalaat Al-Kabash after reported clashes between squatters and security forces, who responded by firing tear gas indiscriminately at the crowds. A Ministry of Interior source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that police forces were merely responding to the violence. The source said 10 members of the police and 17 government workers were injured. At least five citizens were arrested and a one-month- old baby died from asphyxiation. "The government wants us out of here," said Hend Mahrous, another Qalaat Al-Kabash resident. This was the sentiment echoed by many interviewed by Al-Ahram Weekly, who believe the government simply wanted locals to leave. It is rumoured that the fire was a means of evacuating the residents who had previously refused to abide by the government's demand that they relocate, since it plans to renovate the area. "They don't want to give us our rights," according to Ne'na'a Hussein, another squatter, who is convinced that using tear gas was one way of preventing them from asking for alternative housing. "The situation was like a scene from the battles between the Israelis and Palestinians," Hussein asserted, adding that residents had been asking for other housing for several years. After the clashes, government officials intervened to restore calm, promising residents a rapid solution. Only 100 of the 1,000 residents had already been given temporary housing in a Cairo suburb, but Qalaat Al-Kabash residents claim that these beneficiaries are not their neighbours and accused the authorities of fraud. While newspapers reported that President Hosni Mubarak ordered the delivery of swift financial aid, blankets, a stove, refrigerator and television to each family, victims say they have received none. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif announced that he will provide housing for the victim families, but gave no details. The Governor of Cairo Abdel-Azim Wazir confirmed these promises: "Nobody will sleep on the street; the victims only need to furnish any official document that will prove they were residing in the area," Wazir reassured. According to the governor, each family will get alternative residence, and by the end of April all will be housed. "People must be patient and help us because this might take some time,"urged Wazir. Local officials are going to the area on a daily basis to tally the victims, in order to assess the actual number of residents who need alternative housing. Meanwhile, families have been assembling almost every day to protest their situation peacefully. Although the government has handed out food aid, some officials claim that the homeless who are demanding help are not entitled to it. Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour, who is also the MP for Al-Sayeda Zeinab, supplied victims with frozen chicken. In a chaotic scene, his aides went to a local school, locked themselves behind a 10-foot gate and hurled one chicken at a time into the crowd, forcing people to dive for them. One resident, Mansour Salem, sitting next to his charred home mumbled: "Won't anyone tell us what's happening? Is the government going to leave us living on the street and on people's charity or will it provide us with a place to live?". Salem told the Weekly that no compensation or aid was given by the government, and what blankets they have received from "good-hearted individuals" are being stolen while people sleep. As for Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), the youth chapter "set up an emergency relief tent when TV cameras and governmental officials were present, but then packed up and left as soon as the cameras were gone," he revealed.
