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Monthly Briefing 6: March 2015


In the interest of providing the most accurate and timely information on which to assess security developments in Egypt, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) presents the sixth edition of its monthly Egypt Security Watch Briefings. These briefings will serve to update TIMEP’s first full comprehensive report: Egypt’s Security: Threat and ResponsePlease download below the full fifth monthly briefing for March 2015.

The report and briefings are part of our larger, ongoing Egypt Security Watch project, which provides the most comprehensive available resource to monitor Egypt’s security situation, including an interactive map plotting all instances of violence or state operations, state actor, and terror group profiles, and expert analyses.

Notable developments from the briefing include:

March 2015 saw the continuation of a high rate of terror attacks, with 107 attacks in the month—bringing the total for the first quarter of 2015 (331 attacks) only 22 shy of the number of reported attacks in the entire year of 2014 (353 attacks).

The end of the month saw significant changes in United States military assistance to Egypt. In response, TIMEP acknowledged the necessity of overhauling security assistance, while cautioning that such adjustments should not overshadow urgent concerns about human rights. (Full statement: White House Announces Major Changes in Aid Relationship with Egypt, Resumption of Military Aid.)

Reported improvised explosive device (IED) attacks increased, from 49 in February to 69 in March. The attacks primarily occurred in mainland Egypt (60 reported attacks) with a high number (24 reported attacks) in greater Cairo.

While there were continued discrepancies between official and news media reports, counter-terror operations increased from February; 255 operations were reported overall, 161 of which were reported by official government spokespeople. 

Also in March, TIMEP added a profile of the (Allied) Popular Resistance Movement, responsible for 32 attacks in the month of March. TIMEP also added a profile of Faiza Abou el Naga, appointed as special adviser for national security to President Abdel-Fattah el Sisi in November 2014. Updates were added to the profile of Mohamed Ibrahim, who was reassigned from his post as Minister of the Interior in early March.

Download March’s briefing here:

ESWMarch2015

 

Stay informed about developments in Egypt’s security sector by subscribing to TIMEP’s Egypt Security Watch monthly briefings here:

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