Egyptian authorities announced the release of more detained Bedouins, as part of a plan to ease tensions between Bedouins and authorities in Sinai.
In a press statement today, North Sinai Governor Abdel Wahhab Mabrouk said 35 Sinai Bedouin people have been freed upon instructions from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior.
The governorate will release the remaining detainees over the coming few days in coordination with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Interior Ministry, it said.
The first group released comprised 56 Bedouins, half of whom were political detainees and the other half criminals.
Bedouins have long complained about arbitrary arrests and lack of development. Egyptian police, meanwhile, has accused them of involvement in arms smuggling to Gaza and human trafficking to Israel.
Tens of thousands of Bedouins protested during the 25 January revolution. They called for an end to unemployment in North Sinai and the release of some Bedouins arrested four years ago and detained without trial.
