In Sinai and Upper Egypt all sorts of guns, missiles and ammunition have a price tag depending on date of production, country of origin and condition of each item. Since the January 25 Revolution, the security issue whether associated with terror in the north-eastern part of the country or crime on the street, has always been in the background, despite arising political and social disputes that usually keep Egyptians preoccupied for a while. The recent abduction of six central security police conscripts and one army soldier in Sinai at the hands of Jihadists brought the terror of extremist groups in the Peninsula under the limelight. The release however of the abductees thanks to the army, the police and the intelligence agencies and the support of tribes in Sinai had prompted a presidential call urging Bedouin tribes to turn over their arms, an initiative which was turned down by tribal chieftains. Their refusal relied on a prevailing state of lawlessness which neither the interior ministry nor the army has so far managed to control despite sporadic crackdown campaigns. They made it clear that their consent is conditional on the restoration of security by means of a strong police and army grip. Arms smuggling activities have boomed since the Revolution, meeting a high demand for personal safety purposes from Alexandria to Aswan. Security experts say the largest portion of these arms have been basically directed to armed groups stationed in the north of Sinai, which are reportedly stock-piling arms should the occasion arise for massive operations against the army or police according to their dogma. Police reports say about 60 per cent of unlicensed small dealers are seized, but the mafia steering a billions-of pound business are still away from the eyes of the police engaging an army of distributors throughout the country. Smuggling across the western borders following the downfall of the Qaddafi regime in Libya in 20ll has been the most serious since the sale of missiles, bombs and heavy machine guns found their way in unprecedented rates into Egypt. Police sources admit that smugglers have left no stone unturned to bring in as many arms as they can via sea and land ports including Alexandria and the borders of Sudan. Before the revolution Upper Egypt, was the centre of illegal arm deals but the map totally changed in post-revolution Egypt where Sinai has became the stronghold of arm dealers, smugglers and Jihadists. Experts estimate the size of this trade to be between US$ 7 and l0 billion, a lucrative business that lures dealers and distributors despite the perils involved. Experts say that profit reaches in most cases l000 per cent representing the other side of drug trafficking. According to Magdi el-Bassiouni, former aide to the Interior Minister, Jihadists in the Sinai play a major role in smuggling arms brought from the western and southern borders into Gaza through the illegal tunnels between Egypt and the strip. They are in possession of large amounts of weaponry including anti-craft missiles. In an interview with Al-Mussawar Arabic magazine, el-Bassiouni was rather pessimistic about the prospects of success of current army operations, launched in the wake of the kidnapping incident, to radically cleanse the peninsula from arms. It is no secret, he said, that Jihadists are well aware of the rugged topography of the area and so have their ways to hide large supplies within their possession. The tunnels that are still open are moreover hampering endeavours to rid the peninsula of a thriving arms business, he added.
