North Sinai Governor Mourad Mawafi on Tuesday denied reports that the Arab Gas Pipeline, which carries Egyptian gas to Jordan and Syria, had been bombed. According to the governor, the flow of gas through the pipeline was temporarily halted due to fire hazards posed when protesting Bedouins lit cars on fire near the pipeline. Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has seen increasing unrest over the last week, with police accusing a group of armed Bedouin fugitives of carrying out attacks in the region. In turn, Bedouins allege that the government is holding innocent tribesmen hostage to coerce tribes into handing over wanted fugitives to authorities. Approximately 200,000 Bedouins live in Sinai, where they suffer from high rates of unemployment and poverty. "All the talk about the pipeline being bombed is just baseless rumor," Mawafi asserted. "The gas flow resumed Monday after being shut off on Sunday when cars were lit on fire near the pipeline." The governor stressed that security forces were making every effort to restore calm to the area. Mawafi said he refused to exaggerate the problems in Sinai, claiming that such problems were similar to those present throughout Egypt. He also said he would not link the release of Bedouin detainees with an agreement by tribes to hand over fugitives wanted by security forces, "because the lawbreakers only represent a small minority, while most of Bedouin are honorable and stand against the current disturbances." "The fugitives need to turn themselves in," the governor continued, denying that this would result in the release of Bedouin detainees. However, he noted that he had recently ordered the release of 20 detainees. Mawafi denied having heard accusations that security forces had resorted to excessive force during the current period of unrest, emphasizing that the situation had been calm until fugitives began their raids. Contradicting the governor's version of events, officials at Egyptian Natural Gas company GasCo, which owns the pipeline, stated that unknown individuals had damaged the pipeline in a bombing attempt. They said that the gas flow through the pipeline had to be stopped on Monday to allow a maintenance team to repair the damage. Officials added that, since the attempted bombing, intense security measures had been adopted to protect the pipeline from further sabotage operations. In related news, Interior Minister Habib el-Adli met Tuesday with Egyptian MPs and leaders of Sinai's Bedouin tribes and clans to discuss the current unrest in the Sinai and ways to address Bedouin grievances. El-Adli emphasized that security operations had to be coordinated with the local political leadership, which was concerned above all else with the welfare of Sinai residents. Pointing to the government's "ambitious development plan for the Sinai," the minister stated that stability had to be achieved on the peninsula to encourage investment in the region. "It is unacceptable that elements from the mountains are engaging in criminal activity while the government is striving to develop the area," he concluded. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
