Excerpt from document summary
In a recent four-day visit to northern Sinai, emboffs
observed increased Egyptian security presence at entry points
into Sinai and in central Sinai. However, residents in El
Arish complain that security in northern Sinai is lax and
ineffective.

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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #2249/01 3410816
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 070816Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4389
INFO RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1979
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1230
Content
S E C R E T CAIRO 002249

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/22/2019
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, EAID, SOCI, SNAR, SCUL, KPAL, KCRM, IS, EG
SUBJECT: SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
SINAI

REF: A. CAIRO 1458
B. CAIRO 763
C. CAIRO 726
D. CAIRO 657
E. CAIRO 163
F. CAIRO 107
G. CAIRO 1889

Classified By: Minister Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs
Donald A. Blome for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (S) Key Points:

-- In a recent four-day visit to northern Sinai, emboffs
observed increased Egyptian security presence at entry points
into Sinai and in central Sinai. However, residents in El
Arish complain that security in northern Sinai is lax and
ineffective.

-- Despite increased Egyptian efforts to contain it,
smuggling continues into Rafah, through tunnels and across
the Egypt-Israel border. Sinai contacts tell us this is
partly because the area is difficult to patrol and partly
because smugglers bribe border officials.

-- Prolonged drought and lack of development is forcing
nomadic Bedouin in central Sinai to depart the area leaving
mostly smugglers and radicalizing the population.

-- There is a pronounced cultural divide between the Bedouin
population in Sinai and Egyptian officials, and this leads to
a lack of understanding and significant communication
problems.

-- Sinai contacts agreed that local NGOs need to be involved
in development activities to build local capacity and ensure
success.

2. (S) Comment: The lack of development in central Sinai
continues to affect northern Sinai. Numerous Bedouin
encampments have sprung up along the main road between Cairo
and El Arish. This is the first time we have seen nomadic
Bedouin in this area. We also witnessed Bedouin children
herding goats to forage in trash dumpsters on the southern
outskirts of El Arish city. Development in central Sinai has
many challenges not the least of which is that foreigners are
prohibited to travel there and access by Egyptians is
restricted. Sinai Bedouin refer to themselves as "Arabs" to
reinforce their cultural and ancestral roots in the Levant
and Arabian Peninsula and to distinguish themselves from
"Egyptians" who come from the Nile Valley. The influx of
Egyptian workers who fill the best jobs, and the appointment
of officials from the Nile Valley in top North Sinai
Governorate (NSG) positions is a point of tension. End
Comment.

3. (C) Poloff and LES during the recent four-day visit to the
Sinai and based on seven visits over the past 12 months
observed that the Government of Egypt (GoE) takes a much
harsher approach to central Sinai than the Rafah border area
(reftels A-F). Military activity has increased in central
Sinai in an attempt to gain control over the area. There was
a noticeable increase in security at the Mubarak Al Salaam
Bridge crossing the Suez Canal into Sinai. Goods were being
offloaded from trucks and were checked by security officials.

------------------------------
Security Implementation Uneven
------------------------------

4. (S/NF) (name and title removed)
told us that food, electrical appliances and other goods from
Cairo were no longer reaching El Arish due to increased
security at the bridges and tunnels coming from "mainland"
Egypt into Sinai because GoE officials were concerned with
Gaza smuggling. He said that the amount of goods in the
local market had decreased and what was available was either
locally produced or were coming from warehouse storage in the
peninsula.

5. (S/NF) (name and title removed) stated that all families in El
Arish have firearms to protect them from the central Sinai
Bedouin because Egyptian police and security forces are
ineffective. According to the Fawakhria (name removed), Bedouin from central Sinai routinely steal cars
from El Arish to use in smuggling operations. However, he
said no cases have been filed because police are afraid to go

to the Bedouin areas in central Sinai.

6. (S/NF) Atta said Bedouin control central Sinai because
they are better armed than the Egyptian military. He
described these Bedouin as "raiders" who are harder, stronger
and more independent than the Bedouin in northern Sinai, and
said the GoE's security posture is elevated because they
represent a legitimate risk.(name removed), a member
of the local council in central Sinai and President of the
Bedouin Desert Association, which includes leaders from all
nine central Sinai Bedouin tribes, told us that Egyptian
security measures in central Sinai were "oppressive" and the
policy of random arrests is creating criminals rather than
citizens who respect the law.

--------------------------------------------- -----------
Goods Moving Through Tunnels, Across Egypt-Israel Border
--------------------------------------------- -----------

7. (S/NF) (name removed) stated that despite increased GoE efforts,
goods are moving through tunnels into Gaza as well as across
the Egypt-Israel border. He said the tunnels were the
easier, less expensive, and less dangerous way to move goods,
but using them is becoming more difficult. (name removed) informed us
that some Bedouin have started moving their goods across the
Israel border and subsequently into Gaza. He explained that
different goods going to Gaza and Israel have different
routes. Food and medical supplies go through the tunnels in
Rafah into Gaza, arms destined for Gaza move through central
Sinai, Drugs, women, and refugees also move through central
Sinai, but cross the Egypt-Israel border and into major
Israeli cities.

8. (S/NF) (name removed) said smuggling will be very difficult to stop
because there are no other employment options in central
Sinai and the Bedouin no longer consider the occupational
risk because it has become a fact of life. Additionally, he
said corruption among police officials was high because
smugglers are offering up to 50,000 Egyptian pounds (USD
9,100) to let a shipment across the border. (name removed) believes
that GoE support for the local Bedouin leaders and sheikhs is
the only way to change the perspective of the local
population.

9. (S/NF) (name removed) said the trafficking of contraband through
the tunnels and over the Egypt-Israel border originates with
Bedouin in central Sinai. He said most Bedouin engage in
these activities because they lack other economic
opportunities. He encouraged investment in deep (1000
meters) and shallow (20 meters) wells to help support animal
husbandry and farming because existing wells have dried up or
become too saline. (name removed) said that the provision of water to
farm one extra feddan (1.03 acres) could provide a living for
40 people.

--------------------------------------------- -----------
Bedouin Migrating Due to Drought and Lack of Development
--------------------------------------------- -----------

10. (SBU) An American contractor, resident in Sinai said a
prolonged drought in central Sinai is forcing nomadic Bedouin
from central Sinai to move to El Arish in search of food and
water for their families and livestock. He estimated that the
Bedouin population in El Arish city has doubled in the past
year while the population in central Sinai over the last
three years has reduced from approximately 45,000 to 35,000.
He said most Bedouin in El Arish work as day laborers.

11. (S/NF) (name removed) maintained that the lack development in
central Sinai is causing people to migrate from central Sinai
to cities in northern and southern Sinai. He said that this
phenomenon is emptying central Sinai of its law-abiding
citizens leading to a more radicalized population.

-------------------------------------------
Cultural Divide Between Arabs and Egyptians
-------------------------------------------

12. (C) (name and title removed), told us "social
engineering" was needed to resolve problems between the
Bedouin population and Egyptian officials. He said the NSG
had instituted a training program for Bedouin to teach them
how to use channels including NDP representatives, local and
city council members, and tribal sheikhs to help them obtain
their "legal rights." (names removed) both stated that
Egyptian officials need to be trained in how to deal with the
native Bedouin. (name removed) has suggested a formal training

program for police, military, and government officials on how
to deal with the Bedouin, but no program had yet been
established.

13. (S/NF) (name removed) told us that government officials in the
Sinai misuse their ability to detain. He said police and
military routinely arrest mothers and sisters in order to
facilitate the apprehension of Bedouin men. While this
practice is acceptable in Cairo, it is viewed as an insult to
the honor of a Bedouin for which retribution must be
extracted.

14. (S/NF) (names removed) agreed Bedouin feelings of
neglect and marginalization in central Sinai have led to
recent protests and conflict (reftel G). (name removed) added that
the situation will not be resolved until the Bedouin are
treated equally, and have job opportunities, security,
justice, and legitimate channels to air their grievances.

-----------------------------------
Development Must Involve Local NGOs
-----------------------------------

15. (SBU) The contacts we talked with see the potential for
the USG to help in the development of livelihoods in the
Sinai and most were excited about the transportation portion
of USAID's Life Sinai program. (name and title removed) told us that
there needs to be a comprehensive program for development in
North Sinai that addresses the different needs of the
central, coastal, and border regions. However, he asserted
that the needs in central Sinai far overshadowed anything
needed in the coastal and border areas.

16. (S/NF) (names and titles removed) encouraged the USG to
involve local NGOs, a step critical in creating a sense of
ownership, developing local capacity, and ensuring the
success of the development projects. They expressed concern
that the current use of the Governor's office as a "one-stop
shop" could lead to resentment and undermine the
effectiveness of the development projects. (name removed) , a member of the (name and title removed) and (name removed) said local involvement will ensure that
development projects benefit the people and will help avoid
the perception that development is being "imposed."

17. (C) (name removed) also encouraged promoting the U.S. role in
development assistance because it "instills confidence in the
people" and "educates the people that the U.S. cares about
them." He said that NSBA followed this model in allocating
USAID-funded SME and microcredit loans in the border areas of
Rafah and Sheikh Zoweid. He said that 50 percent of his
customers now have a favorable impression and local mosques
have been promoting the loan program. However, he noted that
due to the inability of the GoE and USG to agree on a
mechanism for continued funding the loan program in these two
border cities was losing steam.

18. (SBU) The contacts we talked with suggested programs that
they felt would have the most impact on the Bedouin
population. (names removed) , agreed that technical education in
computers, English language, and handicrafts is needed to
provide livelihoods for Bedouin youth and women. (name removed)
said mobile education and water distribution centers were
essential to provide the nomadic Bedouin in central Sinai
with needed services. (name removed) agreed that mobile schools for
girls are important because many are forced to drop out due
to family restrictions on unaccompanied travel.

19. (S/NF) (names removed) encouraged developing the
medicinal herb and animal products industries for export to
create livelihoods that can sustain Bedouin families. (Note:
Both mentioned the European market for medicinal herbs and
the Arabian Gulf market for camel meat and milk. End Note).
(name removed) asked if the USG could provide a model of
development in desert regions. He specifically mentioned
Israeli development in the Negev as a potential model. (name removed) said that vast mineral resources in central Sinai
including cement and marble created opportunities for
investment and export. However, (name removed) told us that the GoE rejected his and other Bedouin
leaders' proposal to open a new cement factory in central
Sinai.
Tueller