SECURITY and order have always been the priority for Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president and self-proclaimed protector. Since toppling a democratically elected but unpopular Islamist government in 2013, Mr Sisi, a former general, has attempted to stabilise the country with draconian laws and a crackdown on dissent. Without his firm hand, Egypt would look like its blood-soaked neighbours, say his supporters.
One problem with this argument is that Egypt itself looks increasingly volatile. On December 9th a bomb targeting a police vehicle in the northern city of Kafr al-Sheikh killed a civilian and injured three policemen. On the same day another bomb killed six policemen on the road to the pyramids in Cairo, breaking months of relative calm in the capital. Two days later, yet another bomb tore through Cairo’s Coptic cathedral during Sunday mass, killing at least 25 worshippers, mostly women and children.
Disgruntled Islamists have been blamed for the violence—and have taken some credit for it. A shadowy group called the Hasm (decisiveness) movement claimed responsibility for the bomb near the pyramids. It has staged...Continue reading
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