Cairo
– Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday ordered the renewal for
three months of a long-running state of emergency, citing health as well as
security concerns.

Egypt has been under a state of
emergency since April 2017, when twin church bombings claimed by an Islamic
State (ISIS) group affiliate killed dozens of people.

The new extension comes as the
government battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the
Arab world’s most populous country.

“Given the serious health
and security situation … the state of emergency has been declared across the
country for three months starting Tuesday, April 28,” said a presidential
decree published in the official gazette overnight.

The health ministry has so far
recorded 4 782 Covid-19 cases in the population of 100 million.

Of those, 337 have died while 1 236
have recovered.

Amendments to emergency law

The state of emergency gives
police broad powers of arrest and detention and curtails constitutional rights
such as freedom of speech and assembly.

Last week, state media reported
that parliament had approved amendments to the emergency law expanding the
president’s powers to curb the virus’ spread.

The amendments grant the
president rights to close schools, suspend public sector work, restrict
gatherings, quarantine inbound travellers and order private medical facilities
to assist with general healthcare.

Tuesday’s renewal also directed
the armed forces and police to “take the required measures to face
terrorism and its funding”.

Egypt has been battling a
jihadist insurgency, which surged after the 2013 ouster of Islamist president
Mohamed Morsi by then-army chief Sisi.

The attacks have been largely
concentrated in the northern Sinai Peninsula, which has been under a state of
emergency since October 2014.

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