QENA - A delegation of local people in Upper Egypt said they would go to Qena, a tense province in southern Egypt, in a bid to end a standoff of almost two weeks there against the appointment of a Coptic governor. Before heading to the restive province, the delegation appealed to protesters there to end their blockage of main roads and rail tracks, which they said had caused heavy damage and trouble to other people. “We feel dismayed at the harm caused to ordinary people due to the blockage of roads and railways,” the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted the delegation as saying during a rally. They added that the standoff had resulted in hikes in prices of basic commodities and disrupted banking, tourism and postal services. People in Qena have been protesting for the past 11 days against the appointment of Emad Mikhail, a Coptic police general. The bid by the delegation is the latest in a series of initiatives to end the crisis which Salafists (Muslim fundamentalists) had been accused of fomenting for alleged political gains. Two senior Muslim clerics and a former MP last week failed to coax the protesters into ending their sit-in outside the governorate's office building. Another bid by Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawi fizzled out too. “We are not protesting at the religion of the new Governor. Some people are trying to twist the purpose of our protest. What we are against is a former policemen guilty of brutality ruling us,” said Mohamed Khalil, a Muslim cleric who has been helping organise the Qena protests. He added that protesters would continue to block the railway tracks until Mikhail gets the sack. Khalil warned that next Friday's protests would be bigger, if their demands were not met. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces appointed 20 new governors on April 15 across Egypt to replace those who served under former president Mubarak. Qena, which was gripped by unprecedented sectarian tensions under ex-governor Magdi Ayoub, has the largest and oldest Coptic communities and churches in the country. It is also rife with tribal affiliations, while religious movements like the Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood have a strong presence there.
