Violence has surged during the second week of February as Egypt keeps the door open for candidates applications for the parliamentary elections slated for 22 March, said an NGO report tracking the violence trends ahead of the polls.
The period 6-12 February has witnessed 109 incidents of violence, an increase of 25.3 percent from the previous week, said the sixth report published by Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, an organization licensed to observe the upcoming polls as part of a local-international observation mission.
The organization tied the incidents of violence to terrorism, bombings and protests, which often end in clashes with security forces.
Civilians fell prey to 82 percent of those incidents, while 18 percent targeted security facilities, the report said. It found that the scope of violence extended further to afflict 20 provinces, up from 19 a week earlier.
Universities were the target for violence for the first time since the academic year was resumed on 7 February.
The Suez Canal had been targeted with an attempt for sabotage during the same period, said the organization.
