Three tourists and their tour guide were injured in Aswan on Saturday evening amid clashes between the police and residents of Al-Koubaneya village.
Six residents of Al-Koubaneya village were sentenced to life in prison on Saturday, reported state-owned news agency MENA. Amid protest over the sentences, gunshots were exchanged and Al-Koubaneya families ascended the Aswan Bridge in Al-A’qab area, throwing rocks at two cruise-ships below.
Magdy Hegazy, the Ministry of Health undersecretary in Aswan, told MENA that the tourists and the tour guide left the Central Kom Ombo hospital on Sunday, following treatment for minor injuries.
Al-Koubaneya residents got into a fight with an investor after he bought a piece of land near their village in 2010.
Al-Amir Mamdouh, a lawyer in Aswan, said: “The residents attacked the land; sabotaging it and cutting off its water supply.” The investor filed a lawsuit against the locals and the court ruling was released on Saturday. The six residents were also implicated in the murder of two people in relation to the land feud, reported MENA.
The residents also blocked the little used Cairo-Aswan desert road for a couple of hours. The blockage was later resolved by police forces.
The railway schedule was stalled for almost three hours Saturday evening. Officials stopped the trains amid an exchange of gunshots between police forces and Aswan families in Al-A’qab area, reported MENA. Railroad official Hussein Al-Rashidi stated that five trains destined for Cairo were delayed starting from 6pm.
Al-Koubaneya village lies in the northern part of Aswan. Mamdouh described its residents as “uncivil.”
