The Sinai Tribal Union is pushing to play a pivotal role in the ongoing confrontations between the Egyptian armed forces and extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula, especially after the Nov. 24 attack that targeted the al-Rawda mosque, near el-Arish, killing 311 civilians. The union issued several statements announcing its support for the armed forces and its willingness to participate in armed confrontations against the extremist groups in Sinai.
The union consists of the 24 tribes of Sinai and is headed by Sheikh Ibrahim al-Argani. In an interview with Al-Monitor on Dec. 7 in Cairo, Argani said that the tribes were coordinating with the army to make extremists “regret their actions,” particularly in regard to the bombing of al-Rawda mosque, but did not specify in what way. He asserted that the al-Rawda attack had pushed the tribes to come together and overcome their differences. Argani also spoke about the government's development and investment plans for Sinai and the role of the Misr Sinai Investment Company, which the tribes founded in cooperation with the army.
