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Egypt extends state of emergency for 3 months

January 3, 2018 at 12:12 am

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi [Egyptian President Office/Apaimages]

Egypt will extend its nationwide state of emergency for three months starting from 13 January, MENA state news agent reported today, quoting the Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

The extension decision was reported to have been made to help tackle “the dangers and funding of terrorism,” according to MENA.

Sisi ordered the army and police forces to “take the necessary measures to confront the dangers and funding of terrorism and safeguard security in all parts of the country.”

Under the decree, the state army and police forces are authorised to undertake the necessary procedures to combat terrorism in order to preserve the safety of citizens and public properties across the nation.

According the Egyptian constitution, a state of emergency cannot exceed six months from its date of declaration unless it is approved by the House of Representatives. However, the parliament is yet to announce a date to discuss the presidential resolution.

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Egypt first imposed the current state of emergency last April after two church bombings that killed at least 45 people. It was extended in July and again in October.

Egypt has been facing a Daesh-led insurgency in the remote North Sinai region where hundreds of soldiers and policemen were killed in recent years. The battle has expanded to include attacks on civilians. Other Islamists operating in the country’s western desert bordering Libya have also attacked security forces.

Last week, a Daesh-claimed attack targeted Christians in south of Cairo killed at least nine civilians.