Le Monde: Egypt’s army cannot cope with the Sinai militants

The Egyptian army is no longer able to repel armed attacks carried out by militants stationed in the Sinai Peninsula, France’s Le Monde newspaper said yesterday.

This is in spite of the fact it receives US funding of nearly $1.3 billion and has completed military contracts with France and Russia for the supply of weapons.

According to paper, the Egyptian regime’s repressive policies have allowed jihadists to spread not only in Sinai, but also in Cairo and elsewhere.

“When Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi came to power, he accused all his political opponents of terrorism, including Islamists, secularists and nationalists. Extremist jihadists have used growing repression in Egypt as a pretext to carry out their attacks,” the paper said.

Moreover, the Egyptian army has failed to convince the Bedouins not to join Daesh in Sinai.

The paper pointed out that lifting the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip may help reduce the wave of smuggling and prevent militants from moving to the Palestinian territories.