Riskline / Country Report / 29 August 2021 EGYPT Overall risk level High Reconsider travel Can be dangerous and may present unexpected security risks Travel is possible, but there is a potential for disruptions Overview Emergency Numbers Medical 123 Upcoming Events 30 August 2021 - 14 September 2021 Medium risk: Chinese officials suspend flights from Paris and Cairo on 30 August-13 September - Update Air China flight CA934 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) in France to Tianjin Binhai Airport (TSN/ZBTJ) in China and Egyptair flight MS953 from Cairo Airport (CAI/HECA) in Egypt to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport (HGH/ZSHC) in China will be suspended from 30 August for two weeks, due to COVID-19. Riskline / Country Report / 29 August 2021 / Egypt 2 Travel Advisories Medium risk: Militant attacks in mainland Egypt Exercise caution for travel to Egypt until further notice because of potential attacks by militant groups. Domestic and international terror groups, including the Islamic State (IS), have proved that they have both the capability and intent to strike security and tourist sites within mainland Egypt, including Cairo, Giza, and 6th of October City since 2013. At least five militant attacks occurred in Cairo in 2019, killing at least 25 people and injuring 54 others. These attacks mostly targeted security forces, unlike some of the attacks from previous years, which struck places popular with tourists – including a roadside bomb attack targeting Vietnamese nationals on a tour bus near the Giza pyramids (28 December 2018), knife attacks targeting hotels and beachgoers in the resort city of Hurghada (14 July 2017 and 8 January 2016) and a suicide bombing outside Karnak Temple in Luxor (10 June 2015). Similar attacks in crowded public areas – on public transportation or in markets and central squares – as well as areas popular with foreign visitors, such as diplomatic missions, hotels or tourist sites, are likely. In the period between 2016 and 2018, a large number of attacks targeting sites linked to minority religious groups, particularly those of Coptic Christians, were reported across mainland Egypt. In December 2016 and April-May 2017, IS militants carried out large scale bombings in Cairo, Tanta and Alexandria, as well as a mass shooting in Minya governorate, indicating that the group has the means to carry out mass casualty attacks. In late December 2017, an IS-affiliated gunman killed at least 10 people at the Church of Great Martyr Mina in Helwan, triggering a heightened state of security nationwide. On 2 November 2018, IS gunmen killed seven Coptic Christians and wounded over a dozen others as they were travelling to Saint Samuel’s Monastery in Al Edwah, Minya governorate. Despite making considerable strides in securing both government infrastructure and churches across mainland Egypt and reducing the frequency and size of terror attacks across the country, including in North Sinai governorate, since then, further attacks targeting Coptic Christian sites, particularly places of worship, remain likely in the near- and medium-term, especially during Coptic Easter celebrations. Kidnappings and targeted killings against Coptic Christian businesses and individuals on public transport are also possible, especially in North Sinai governorate. In the wake of the attacks, the government imposed a nationwide state of emergency granting wide-ranging powers to the security services, allowing them to detain individuals for indefinite periods, prevent public gatherings and clamp down on media freedoms. Travellers should avoid loitering in the vicinity of security forces, government buildings and other commonly targeted places. In the event of an attack, leave the scene as soon as possible to avoid being caught in a possible follow-on blast. Remain vigilant at all times, report suspicious behaviour and packages to local authorities and immediately leave the scene of any attack. Riskline / Country Report / 29 August 2021 / Egypt 3 Extreme risk: North Sinai governorate Defer non-essential travel to North Sinai governorate, including the Suez-Taba Road, until further notice due to an ongoing Islamist insurgency and widespread military operations. Islamist militant groups, including Wilayat Sina (Sinai Province), an Islamic State (IS) affiliate formerly known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, are active across North Sinai governorate, particularly in al-Arish, Rafah, Bir Al-Abd and Sheikh Zuweid. Militants are well-armed and organised, carrying out regular attacks on security forces and government infrastructure with automatic weapons and suicide bombings. A state of emergency has been in place across North Sinai governorate since October 2014, widely empowering the security forces in the area. On 24 November 2017, at least 305 people were killed and 109 injured during a combined suicide bomb and gun attack on a Sufi mosque in al-Rawdah, North Sinai governorate. While no group claimed responsibility for the attack, the government blamed the Islamic State (IS)-affiliated Sinai Province group, immediately launching multiple military campaigns to “eradicate” suspected militant hideouts. These campaigns have further alienated the residents of North Sinai governorate, but significantly reduced the influence and capability of the group to conduct large- scale attacks. On 7 July 2017, at least 26 soldiers and 40 IS-affiliated militants were killed after the group launched a series of attacks on checkpoints across North Sinai governorate. In the wake of the attack, the government imposed a security cordon around Rafah, launched security operations across North Sinai governorate and heightened security along the Egypt-Gaza border. Additionally, the government extended an existing curfew, first imposed on 25 October 2014. The curfew, which runs from 19:00 to 06:00 local time (17:00-04:00 GMT) applies in Rafah, border areas with Israel and Gaza, al-Owagla north of Hasna, Mount Helal (Jabal al-Halāl), the coastline west of al-Arish that stretches to the Palestinian Rafah, and all the areas connecting them to one another. The movement of vehicles is also restricted overnight in al-Arish daily from 01:00 to 05:00 local time (23:00-03:00 GMT). The Egyptian military is actively engaged in operations, which include airstrikes, shelling and raids, against suspected militant positions. It also frequently suspends telecommunication services and cleared a five-kilometre (3.1 miles) buffer zone along the border with Gaza. Foreign nationals and mainland Egyptians are not allowed entry into the North Sinai without government permission. For essential travel, inform your embassy and Egyptian officials of plans to travel to North Sinai. Anticipate bolstered security, additional checkpoints and travel restrictions. Comply with all orders from local authorities and security personnel; curfew violators have reportedly been shot dead by security forces in several instances. Consider hiring a local guide from Bedouin tribes living in North Sinai and/or personal security protection. Context: On 2 November 2019, the Islamic State affiliate group in North Sinai pledged allegiance to Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, Islamic State’s new Caliph following the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In January, the group urged its supporters to attack Israel and, in previous months, they called for attacks on the Egyptian government, Coptic Christians and Sufi Muslims across the Riskline / Country Report / 29 August 2021 / Egypt 4 country. Extreme risk: Western Desert region Defer non-essential travel to the Western Desert region, excluding the Siwa Oasis, until further notice, due to ongoing military operations targeting sporadic militant activity and criminal groups. The rise of Islamic State (IS)-affiliated and al-Qaeda-linked militias in Libya has led to an increased military deployment and the creation of closed military zones in the Western Desert region, particularly along the Egypt-Libya border. Tensions in the area have increased significantly since the February 2015 execution of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya, followed by progressively deeper raids into Egypt by IS-affiliated and al-Qaeda-linked fighters. Since 2017, the military has been carrying out airstrikes and ambushes almost daily across the desert, mostly targeting smugglers dealing in drugs and weapons, among other things. These operations have also targeted suspected militant hideouts and camps linked to Libyan groups. Despite drastically reducing the capability of militants to conduct attacks on areas near the Western Desert in Minya and the outskirts of Cairo, which peaked in 2017-2018, military operations in the area remain ongoing and the risk of being caught in raids remains high for locals and visitors. In early July 2017, at least three civilians were killed after the Egyptian military mistakenly carried out an airstrike on a building site near the Bahariya Oasis. On 13 September 2015, 12 people were killed, including eight Mexican nationals, and 10 injured, after Egyptian military gunships mistakenly fired on their convoy near the Bahariya Oasis, while in pursuit of reported IS militants; there was reportedly confusion over whether the tourists were in a closed military zone. Both incidents highlight the volatile security situation in western Egypt, with IS and the government’s military response posing an increasing risk to foreign travellers and local residents. The July 2015 kidnapping - and subsequent execution - of a Croatian national from the Cairo metropolitan area, bordering on the