Dozens of Bedouins from the Muzayenna tribe organized a sit-in outside the Sharm el-Sheikh City Council building Tuesday to demand the right to own tourism shops.
The protesters hope to open the shops to sell Bedouin jewelry, and to market safaris and mountain activities.
Tribe member Ramadan Hamid said Bedouin youths had set up 31 shops in the Markatu district with the City Council’s consent. He said the youth had put all their money into the shops and had sold their camels to meet their expenses, only to have the council agree to allow some to own the shops but not others.
Mohamed Abu Atiq, one of the protesters, said he and the other demonstrators would continue to hold the sit-in until they obtain their rights.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
