Egypt: Anti-weapons smuggling operations on Libyan border continue

Event

On Wednesday, November 22, the Egyptian army announced that a convoy of ten vehicles reportedly carrying weapons and ammunition had been destroyed near the Libyan border. This incident comes amid an ongoing crackdown on smuggling and intensification of border security, launched in response to an attack that occurred on October 20 in Giza province that killed at least 16 police officers. It was confirmed last week that the Ansar Al-Islam group, who claimed responsibility for the attack, had trained in the Libyan town of Derna before crossing into Egypt. Similar cross-border airstrikes by Egyptian forces on weapons convoys have also taken place in October and November.

Context

The security situation in neighboring Libya - a hotspot for arms smuggling - remains precarious since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi's regime in 2011 and there is little to no sign of a return of relative stability in the near-term. Over the past six years, the Egyptian Air Force has conducted numerous anti-smuggling raids and operations along its 1150-km (715-mi) border with Libya.

Egypt has been under a nationwide state of emergency since April 2017, when Islamic State militants carried out attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, leaving roughly 50 people dead.

Advice

Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (e.g. public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to northern Sinai, where the authorities maintain a media blackout and special security zones due to the persistent terrorist threat.