Skip to main content

Sinai massacre forebodes more violence

Egypt's Sinai Peninsula may be in store for more terrorism as the latest attack that left more than 300 people dead at al-Rawda Sufi mosque could be a sign of things to come from militant groups in the area.
Egyptian children stand near a pile of footwear belonging to the victims of the attack that targeted the Rawda mosque near North Sinai provincial capital of El-Arish, on November 25, 2017.
Armed attackers killed at least 235 worshippers in a bomb and gun assault on the packed mosque in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, in the country's deadliest attack in recent memory.   / AFP PHOTO / STR        (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Read in 

It was a nightmare scene — the worst in Egypt’s modern history. Over 300 civilians, including 27 children, died and more than 100 were wounded in a terrorist attack that targeted a mosque in the Bedouin village of al-Rawda, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province.

Residents say that most of the village’s men were killed in the attack, which they described as a massacre bordering on genocide. The village is home to around 2,000 people, most of them from al-Jarirat tribe, part of al-Sawarka tribe, the peninsula’s second biggest.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.