The new state of emergency may be Egypt’s only chance to defeat the terrorist groups, as Egypt’s government for the first time has broad support from both the population and the international community.
On Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017, at least 44 Coptic Christians in Egypt were killed after two deadly blasts in churches in Tanta and Alexandria. Egyptian President Egypt Abdul Fattah al-Sisi declared a state of emergency and ordered military deployments across the country.
According to Nourhan El-Sheikh, Professor of Political Science at Cairo University, the new state of emergency may be Egypt’s only chance to defeat the terrorist groups, as Egypt’s government for the first time has broad support from both the population and the international community.
“Internationally, the Arab countries and the UN Security Council supported Egypt in its fight against terrorism. Now that both inside and outside Egypt there is support for the government, it will take very hard decisions against terrorists,” El-Sheikh told valdaiclub.com.
El-Sheikh added that the Egyptian public is growing restless as attacks continue despite the Egyptian government’s counter-terrorist operation. While many Egyptians, especially Copts, supported the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood from power in Egypt, the continuing attacks, particularly their repetition, have made many wary about supporting the government in the future.
“Most Egyptians are now highly disappointed by the weak performance of the government. Terrorist are acting now not only in Sinai, but deep inside Egypt, in Cairo, in Alexandria,” she said.
“Many people, not in the media, but among themselves are asking in personal discussions, why we failed up to today, to crush those terrorists. It is in the interest of Egypt and the government, they should move more strongly. Otherwise, it will be not a good sign for the future of Egypt as a whole,” she added.
At the same time, even with the state of emergency, there are no concrete signs that the Egyptian government will succeed, according to El-Sheikh.
“Unfortunately, nobody knows whether we will capture that chance and firmly crush the terrorists in Northern Egypt or this opportunity will pass by and we won’t be able to benefit from it. The next few months will show how we use that opportunity or not,” El-Sheikh concluded.
