Tribal chiefs from South and North Sinai plan to meet with high-level Cabinet officials to discuss problems in the region, informed military sources said on Friday.
The meeting comes after the defense minister’s decision to ban private ownership of land in Sinai near the border.
The Armed Forces have intensified their presence in some areas of North Sinai after receiving intelligence on a possible attack by militants against police and soldiers, the sources added, stating that military vehicles have been deployed to North Sinai from the Second Field Army camp in Ismailia.
The minister’s decision to ban land ownership in certain areas of the region has not been well received by local residents, said another military source.
He added that the resolution bans land ownership in a 5 km proximity to the border, which is a strategic military site and not suitable for housing or projects.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
