Egypt: Bedouin paramilitary formation stirs controversy
The formation of Egypt’s new Bedouin paramilitary group, the Arab Tribes Union, has stirred controversy in the country according to The National News and agencies on May 6th.
The union was officially launched on April 25th with a grand ceremony attended by key Egyptian political and military figures.
Led by influential Sinai militiaman and businessman, Ibrahim Al Organi, the union constitutes over 30 Bedouin tribes from Sinai and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Al Organi’s previously unofficial coalition collaborated with Egyptian armed forces to combat an ISIS insurgency in Sinai from 2011 to 2020.
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Government supporters including Major General Ashraf Al Maqrahy, and parliamentarian Moustafa Bakry, have lauded the union’s establishment as crucial in solving Sinai’s terrorist insurgencies and securing Egypt’s borders.
Al Organi, widely regarded as a defender of the historically marginalised Bedouin community, has gained significant influence in the Sinai region. His companies have been instrumental in major reconstruction projects in Sinai, providing essential livelihoods to the economically disadvantaged.
“Bedouin were always at odds with the security agencies and it wasn’t unusual for them to be detained and questioned by the police for doing absolutely nothing,” said one Sinai resident.
“Since Al Organi’s rise to power, this has stopped and they are treated with more respect. That coupled with the money he has been able to secure for residents of Sinai has made him very powerful”, he added.
But Civil society groups and leftist nationalist parties such as the United Nasserist Party, see the Arab Tribes Union as endangering Egypt’s unity and social fabric.
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Hamdeen Sabahy, former presidential candidate and party leader, stated that any group formed on such tribal and ethnic lines stokes societal division in Egypt.
Al Organi has also met criticism over allegedly peddling his connections with the military to propel his vast wealth and influence.
His company Hala Consulting and Tourism has allegedly exploited displaced Palestinians attempting to flee Gaza, charging them inflated fees of up to $10,000 per person.
The company also reportedly charged similar fees to aid lorries attempting to enter Gaza.
But parliamentarian Bakry rebuffed these allegations, saying Palestinian border officials collected the fees while “The Egyptian side wasn’t involved”.
The National News / Agencies
