Sisi meets head of Sinai development body

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Sunday with the head of the National Body for the Development of the Sinai Peninsula, a presidential statement said.

Major-General Shawqi Rashwan presented his institution’s activities and his suggestions for developing the underprivileged and insurgency-stricken area.

He suggested, according to the statement, creating mining companies to offer jobs opportunities for young people. He also updated the president on the latest decisions taken regarding the project to distribute Sinai lands, with 25 percent going to the peninsula’s locals.

Meanwhile, the president stressed the importance of continuing efforts to improve living conditions for Sinai’s population.

The National Body for the Development of the Sinai Peninsula was founded in 2012. It works on developing plans for projects and investment in Sinai and coordinating with the cabinet and other state bodies.

Sinai is an underprivileged area of Egypt, lacking infrastructural and economic development.

The Egyptian army has been facing a decade-long jihadist militant insurgency in the peninsula, with militant attacks increasing over the past two years since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

source: Ahram online