CAIRO: Bedouin tribes in Sinai have given the government an ultimatum to heed their list of demands by Jan. 15. At a conference in Al-Ajira in Northern Sinai, the four main tribes of Sinai gathered to reiterate their demands and request from the government to act upon them by early next year. The four tribes - Tarabin, Sawarka, Rumelat and Tahaya - demanded justice for their people who are currently incarcerated, justice to tribe members killed by security forces in the area, as well as the right to land ownership, which is denied to them. The conference took place without the involvement of the Popular Committee for the Rights of Sinai Citizens affiliated to the Tagammu party because the tribes did not want to politicize their stand. The freedoms committee of the Journalists' Syndicate hosted a conference on Dec.16 to discuss Sinai, with many representatives traveling to Cairo from the area. The tribes had previously released a statement in advance of the conference in which they lamented the attitude of mistrust the state and local officials have towards them. "The state deserted [the children of Sinai] to an enemy that is not governed by agreements or ethical or religious standards, without any consideration to their humanity or dignity or constitutional, civil and economic rights, the statement read. The tribes also released a follow-up statement warning their own tribesmen working for security forces, telling them in no uncertain terms to desist or they will pay the price. "There is now a conspiracy against us from the security forces to split the tribes of Sinai, the Bedouin statement read. Directing its ire to "the traitors amongst us, the statement contained a threat that those working in tandem with the government against their own tribes will be dealt with harshly. Recent clashes between Sinai's Bedouins and security forces led to the death of four people, three of them were found partially buried in the desert. During the clashes angry Bedouins temporarily took over a police station.
