2 dead, 10 injured in renewed Aswan clashes

Joel Gulhane
2 Min Read

Renewed clashes erupted in Aswan on Sunday, despite the intervention of the army to quell the violence resulting in one death, bringing the total up to 25 since Friday.

Citing an eye witness, state owned media agency Al-Ahram reported that members of the Bani Hilal tribe attacked homes belonging to members of the Daboudya tribe.

Train services between Aswan and the High Dam were cancelled on Sunday as a result of the clashes, which occurred in three different areas, according to state television.

The public prosecutor inspected the bodies of 22 of the dead, 4 with gunshot wounds, 4 with burns and 14 with stab wounds, according to Al-Ahram.

The body of one of the fatalities from the previous days is missing, according to the Aswan prosecution.

The governor of Aswan asked for the army to intervene in the violence between the Bani Hilal and Daboudya tribes after attempts at reconciliation and police intervention failed to quell the violence in southern Egypt.

It was announced on Saturday that schools in the area were closed as a result of the violence that left dozens injured, according to state television.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim travelled to Aswan on Saturday “to follow events on the ground” and called for reconciliation to end the violence, according to a Saturday cabinet statement.

Reconciliation talks Friday devolved into an argument, the Ministry of Interior reported. Gunfire broke out, leading to four deaths and ten injuries. A number of houses have also been burned.

On Saturday, residents exchanged gunfire and hurled Molotov cocktails, killing 16 and wounding 3, according to the ministry.

The clashes allegedly started after a fight broke out between two students on 2 April because of sexual harassment, although the details are unclear.

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Joel Gulhane is a journalist with an interest in Egyptian and regional politics. Follow him on Twitter @jgulhane
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