Egypt: Thousands demonstrate over appointment of Coptic governor in Qena

Thousands have been demonstrating on successive days about the appointment of a Coptic governor in Qena, south of Cairo. Protestors have blocked the main road and rail links between Cairo and Upper Egypt. The cabinet has called on the interior minister to intervene to restore order.

On 15 th April, the military-backed interim government appointed 20 new governors across Egypt to replace those who served under former president Hosni Mubarak. Among the new appointees was a former police general Emad Mikhail, who is a Copt . He replaces another Christian governor, Magdy Ayoub, who was regarded as ineffectual. Protesters have been chanting “We want a Muslim governor .”

The protestors have been led by radical Salafist Muslims who want a return to the ways of the past and have been bitterly opposed to the Coptic church. Qena, like other provinces, has a much higher proportion of Coptic Christians than the national mean of about 10 per cent.

Two Muslims were killed when a row over a speed bump in Minya province developed into a sectarian riot. A curfew has been imposed on the town of Abu Qorqas after a dispute between two families escalated into clashes between Muslims and Christians.

Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued new travel advice after the disturbances in Qena. “ We advise against all but essential travel to the city of Qena. There have been protests - some violent - in the southern Egyptian city of Qena and its surroundings districts. Reports on 18th and 19th April suggest the protests are sectarian in character. Road and railway lines through the Province have been blocked by protesters. You should check with the local authorities or your tour operator before travelling through the Province of Qena and consider alternative routes when using road or rail networks.”

The FCO also retains its standard advice that there “is a high threat from terrorism in Egypt. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers, such as hotels and restaurants.”

For more news and expert analysis about Egypt, please see Egypt Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

UK working closely with Algeria on counter-terrorism

Following the announcement by British MP Alistair Burt at the end of his two-day visit of to Algiers on 11-12th November, the second meeting of the UK Algerian joint committee on counter-terrorism met in London for two full days of talks on 29-30th November.

Burt, who is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), with responsibility for the Middle East and North Africa and counter terrorism, spoke effusively to the media during his visit to Algiers three weeks ago about UK-Algerian cooperation in counterterrorism.

The first, somewhat tentative meeting of the bilateral committee was held on 16-17th March 2010. The end of November meeting in London was the first full-blown 'operational' meeting of the two 'countries' delegations.

The Algerian delegation was headed by President Bouteflika's counterterrorism advisor and envoy Kamal Razzak Bara. The UK delegation was headed by the FCO's Director of Defence and Strategic Threats Simon Manley. An Al Jazeera report at the start of the meetings described Manley as having strong working relations and contacts with both domestic (MI5) and foreign (MI6) British intelligence agencies and the British Ministry of Defence, as well as internal counterterrorism security agencies.

British officials heaped praise on Algeria's record on terrorism and made it clear that the UK would not only be working increasingly closely with Algeria's DRS but that it would be providing it with material, intelligence, training and other such co-operative needs. The close working relationship between UK and Algerian counterterrorism is demonstrated by the fact that that the FCO's special advisor on terrorism in NW Africa, Patrick Tobin, is now almost permanently based in Algiers.

Major General Robin Searby, who was a member of the British delegation and the UK Prime Minister's adviser on counterterrorism for North Africa said that: "For the UK, Algeria has already great experience [in counterterrorism] and we will offer full assistance to the Algerian Government in its fight against Al Qaida in the Maghreb. The Algerian government is very strong in combating terrorism and the United Kingdom is confident and optimistic about this approach."

For more news and expert analysis about Algeria please see Algeria Focus and Algeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates