Bedouin revolt in Sinai

The Bedouin mini-revolt that is unfolding in Sinai is getting wider coverage: In Al-Akhbar yesterday, where there is a "Egypt" weekly page, this article described the marginalization of the Bedouins and their neglect by the state and how the touristic developments in Sharm el Sheikh and elsewhere just bypassed them (scroll to the middle of the page). In Al Hayat today, a similar, but more systematic and better organized op-ed by Muhammad Salah also covered the same issue.

The Bedouins of Sinai are truly underserved in Egypt and in serious need of development programs targeting them: I gave a talk about the Bedouins of Jordan and Lebanon last week in a WFP meeting in Cairo and the people of the WFP (UN World Food Program) told me the Sinai Bedouins regularly receive food aid from the UN program.