Armed Bedouins enter Sinai peace force camp

[azurnoir]

Armed Bedouins have entered a military base used by international peacekeepers in Egypt's Sinai region to pressure local authorities to release fellow tribesmen from jail, security and tribal sources said on Thursday.

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No confrontation was reported for now but the security official and a Bedouin source, who both spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Bedouin have threatened to escalate the situation if their demands were not met.

The Multinational Force and Observers director in Cairo, Kathleen Riley, refused to confirm the incident, saying the force "does not comment about its operations".

The force includes military staff from 12 countries including the United States, Colombia, France and Uruguay, the MFO website said. It was not clear how many troops were stationed in the Sinai camp or their nationalities.

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE82E07120120315

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[azurnoir]

1. Sinai Bedouin lift siege on peacekeeper camp

Egyptian security and tribal sources said that, under the deal to lift the siege, the Egyptian authorities had been given until April 16 to release the tribesmen who were jailed in connection with bombings in the Sinai Peninsula in 2004.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=468583