The question now will be how the Egyptian state responds.
Sinai in particular has been in need of widespread efforts to tackle inequalities and lack of development – not just for a few years, but for decades. What it has seen instead has been an almost exclusive focus on a security solution.
But a comprehensive solution needs to encompass not only the necessary use of force of arms – but also take account of the wider aspects of the situation in the Sinai.
There is no linear path from lack of development to these sort of attacks – otherwise there would be far more across Egypt, and the entirety of Sinai would have fallen into the hands of IS, rather than being localised in a particular part of the north.
But, just like so much of rural Egypt, the lack of socio-economic opportunities and broader development need to be addressed – otherwise, they will be exploited as a recruitment tools for a few, and a few is too many.
In northern Sinai, as in the world over, extremism has many factors underpinning its existence, and countering it requires a holistic approach. Yet against the backdrop of this horrific and brutal tragedy, the immediate response from Cairo is dominated by mourning – and fury, but most of all, of sorrow, as so many are now laid to rest.
Source:-BBc
