Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered the military on Tuesday to protect companies operating in Sinai, warning “evil groups” against obstructing development projects in the area.
Attending the inauguration of a number of development projects in the Peninsula via videoconference, Sisi said: “Evil groups (active in Sinai) should clearly understand that the State is strongly securing those projects.”
In the past years, the Egyptian military and police in north and central Sinai governorate have battled armed groups, including 'Wilayat Sinai,” a local ISIS affiliate.
Those groups have escalated their attacks particularly after President Mohamed Morsi was removed from office in 2013.
However, in February 2018, the Egyptian military launched a major campaign against the militants and defeated them.
On Tuesday, Sisi saw the launch of the second stage of building the Ismailiya-Awja highway and the opening of the Ahmad Hamdi Tunnel, a 1640-meter long car tunnel under the Suez Canal at Shallufa.
