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Egypt’s Sisi orders Cabinet to help resettle Sinai Christians fleeing Daesh

By Reuters - Feb 25,2017 - Last updated at Feb 25,2017

Egyptian Coptic Christians sit in the courtyard of the Evangelical Church in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya on Friday, upon arriving to take refuge from the Daesh group militants (AFP photo)

CAIRO — President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Saturday ordered the government to take all necessary measures to help resettle Christians who have fled Egypt’s Northern Sinai after the Daesh terror group killed several members of the community.

Hundreds of Christian families and students have fled to Ismailiya, north Sinai’s neighbouring province, after seven Christians were killed in Arish between January 30 and Thursday.

Daesh, which is waging an insurgency there, claimed responsibility for the killings, five of which were shootings. One man was beheaded and another set on fire.

Sisi held a meeting on Saturday with the prime minister, ministers of defence, interior and intelligence, among other officals, to discuss “the importance of resisting all attempts to sabotage stability and security in Egypt,” the statement said.

Sisi had also “directed the government to take all necessary measures to facilitate settlements for citizens in their set resettled areas”.

 Orthodox Copts, who comprise about 10 per cent of Egypt’s 90 million people, are the Middle East’s largest Christian community. They have long complained of persecution.

In December, Daesh claimed responsibility for bombing a chapel adjoining Cairo’s St Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic papacy, killing 28 people, mostly women and children.

 

Egypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace in 2013 after President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed.

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