Gunmen take control of complex on Red Sea coast and demand £425,000 ransom in exchange for leaving site peacefully

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Bedouin tribesmen have stormed a tourist resort in the Sinai peninsula in an effort to reclaim land – the latest in a string of conflicts between the Egyptian state and local communities emboldened by the revolution.

Egyptian media reports said dozens of gunmen took control of Aqua-Sun, a Red Sea hotel complex boasting 2km of private beaches to the south of Taba, and were demanding 4m Egyptian pounds (£425,000) in exchange for leaving the site peacefully.

No tourists were staying in the resort at the time, and although several Egyptian security guards were taken hostage during the incident their lives are not believed to be in danger.

Disputes over land have been common in the Sinai ever since the central government embarked on a mass "Red Sea Riviera" programme of resort construction along the eastern coast in the 1990s.

Customary law was replaced by a new system of land ownership, and large swaths of previously bedouin-controlled coastal areas were sold to private investors under the auspices of the state, leading to allegations by some locals that they were being cheated out of their property.

Egyptian officials said it would be difficult to mount any police or military response given the constraints imposed upon Egypt as a result of its peace treaty with Israel, which regulates the amount of security personnel the government can deploy to this sensitive border region.

The relationship between the two countries became a significant political issue during the recent Egyptian parliamentary election campaign, but no major party has seriously suggested withdrawing from the 1978 Camp David accord.

The Aqua-Sun occupation is the latest example of Egypt's military government being challenged by communities in different corners of the country.

From water shortages to factory pollution, long-held grievances have bubbled to the surface as a result of the ongoing revolution, which has intensified popular expectations of social justice.

Many groups, including some bedouin tribes, believe national political instability has offered them a unique opportunity to drive home their claims.

"The bedouin are among the many marginalised groups in Egypt pressing for their rights since the revolution began last year," Elijah Zarwan, a Cairo-based political analyst, said.

"There's long been a security vacuum in the Sinai and now on top of that you have a more generalised security vacuum throughout Egypt. It's no wonder that the bedouins, who are often well-armed, feel emboldened to press for their rights more forcefully."

Earlier this month, residents in the Mediterranean coastal town of Dabaa broke through the security perimeter of a large, government-owned site earmarked for a future nuclear power plant and blew up several buildings, including one believed to be the reactor, that were under construction.

The Mubarak-era nuclear project has long attracted fierce opposition from members of the community, who say they have been deceived by the authorities on multiple occasions and are now intent on reclaiming the land for themselves.

Last week, it emerged that some protesters had stolen radioactive material from the site following clashes between security forces and protesters in which dozens were injured. On Monday, the government vowed to press ahead with the nuclear plant, warning locals against any more "violations of state-owned property".

Meanwhile, preparations for Wednesday's highly-anticipated anniversary, which will mark one year since Egypt's revolution began, are continuing.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power following the fall of Hosni Mubarak last February and has since itself become a target for revolutionaries, has announced plans for a range of official celebrations including military parades, air shows, a specially-commissioned operetta and the distribution of prize coupons to citizens on the streets.

But anti-junta demonstrators have vowed to ignore the planned events and instead hold large protests calling for an end to military rule.

"We are not going down to the streets to celebrate," Ahmed Emam, a member of the Popular Alliance party, insisted at a press conference last week.

"We are going down to continue our revolution. We will not celebrate while the blood of the martyrs hasn't dried yet."

In recent days, the authorities have begun bolstering security at places expected to be a target for the revolutionaries, including central Cairo's state television building by the Nile.

Some high-end hotels in the city are boarding up their windows in expectation of violent clashes, and several airlines have cancelled flights to Egypt on the day.