CAIRO - Egypt's desert and agricultural highways are suffering from a lack of security, encouraging motorists to drive too quickly, especially as the police radar checkpoints have disappeared. The traffic officers have also disappeared, compounding the problem. There are also gangs of knife-wielding bullies on the highways, who force drivers to stop and pay them itawa (protection money). In a recent incident, a number of bullies cut highway between Daqahlia and Damietta governorates, preventing any vehicle from driving either way, while the Copts did something similar on the Greater Cairo Ring Road. Another gang blocked the Autostrad near Manshiyet Nasser in eastern Cairo, throwing stones at the drivers and their passengers. Some were killed and many more injured. Meanwhile, about 100 microbus drivers cut the Cairo-Assiut Agricultural Road near 6th October City, calling for the cancellation of traffic fees. Their action caused huge delays for thousands of commuters. Hassan Mohamed, a lorry driver, told Al-Wafd opposition newspaper that his brother, another lorry driver, was driving to Sharm el-Sheikh when some bullies blocked the road. ”My brother had to stop. They stole his lorry and its load. If he'd put up a fight, they would have murdered him,” said Mohamed. “There's been no security since the Traffic Police disappeared.” Fawzi Genina, a driver who owns his own lorry, says it's too dangerous to use the highways at the moment, even though he still has LE170,000-worth of installments to pay on his HGV. “I really don't know what will I do, now the police and traffic checkpoints have gone. There are so many thugs. Things are going from bad to worse,” he says. “I was driving to Upper Egypt, when I saw gangs stopping vehicles of every kind, including private cares and microbuses, forcing the drivers and passengers to hand over their watches, mobiles, money and jewellery. Magdi Mohamed, another lorry driver, who was driving through el-Abbasia, a built-up area of Cairo, was surprised when a number of bullies asked him to stop so they could check his driving licence. When he realised they weren't a vigilante group but thugs, he sped off. But other drivers before and after him were robbed by the bullies. Hajj Moustafa el-Shorbagi, the owner of a plastics factory, says he's very sad about what's being happening. “My factory is a small one, but many of the owners of large factories have had their lorries and goods stolen by thugs,” he explains. “The most dangerous place is the Greater Cairo Ring Road, in both directions, especially at night, when many motorists get robbed at knifepoint,” says Nasser Ahmed. Ahmed Sami, also a lorry driver, who works for an electric appliances company, always carries his licenced handgun with him. He dearly hopes that the Traffic Police come back. If not, the law of the jungle will continue to prevail.
