Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has reportedly ordered his government to help resettle Christians who have fled the northern Sinai Peninsula after several members of their community were killed in a series of targeted attacks.
At least seven Christians have been killed in the town of Arish since 30th January, the majority of them shot, but one reportedly beheaded and another set on fire. Scores of Christians were reported to have left the area in the wake of the attacks with some local media reporting that up to 1,000 had left as of the end of last week.
The President met with top officials on Saturday to discuss the attacks and, according to a statement released later, directed the government to “take all necessary measures to facilitate settlements for citizens in their set resettled areas”.
Islamic State, which is fighting an insurgency in the northern Sinai, recently released a propaganda video recently in which its followers vowed to wipe out Egypt’s Coptic Christians. The video also purportedly showed the final statement of the suicide bonber who died in an attack on a Cairo church in December leaving at least 28 people – mostly women and children – dead.
