In the aftermath of the massive exodus of more than 100 Coptic families from the North Sinai city of Al-Arish after threats from militants, a delegation from the Human Rights Sector affiliated to the Ministry of Interior as well as a National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) delegation paid a visit to the Coptic families that fled to Ismailia and Port Said.
According to footage released on the Ministry of Interior’s YouTube channel, the Human Rights Sector delegation’s members inspected the living conditions of the families and expressed their endless support to the families, pledging to meet their demands.
Meanwhile, the NCHR released a statement, expressing its continued efforts regarding humanitarian work inside the two governorates of Ismailia and Port Said, where the displaced Coptic families are currently residing.
According to the statement, the delegation—consisting of four NCHR members—held meetings with 60 Coptic families that are now living inside Ismailia governorate.
“The NCHR delegation met with 60 families inside Ismailia governorate to learn about their living conditions, the reasons that pushed them to flee Al-Arish, and the consequences of their displacement,” the NCHR statement read.
The meetings held with the families revealed that the Coptic families decided to abandon Al-Arish, fearing to be subjected to militant assaults after an increasing number of attacks against civilians inside the city, the statement added.
Moreover, the families said during the meeting that the distribution of flyers that contained threats to kill Copts was also among the main reasons that pushed them to flee, as these flyers contained clear threats to kill 40 specific Coptic citizens and further threatened Copts in general.
“The meetings revealed that the decision to flee was the families’ own decision, fearing to be subjected to killings from the militants. They also asserted that the exodus took place without any coordination with the government,” the NCHR statement noted.
The statement concluded that it is very necessary that the government rapidly improves the living conditions of the displaced Coptic families through providing them education and job opportunities.
It moreover called on the state to play its role in curbing all attempts that aim to incite sectarianism in the Egyptian society and undertake the necessary measures to protect its unity.
