Parliament Approves Extending State of Emergency for 3 Months

On Monday, the general committee of the parliament, headed by Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, approved a presidential decree to extend the state of emergency nationwide for three months, starting Tuesday April 28th.

In a report, the committee said that the state of emergency is a necessary procedure in light of the serious security and health conditions that the country is going through.

The report added that the declaration would also help the state uproot terrorism.

The committee also indicated that the exceptional measures would only be used by the extent that ensures a balance between the protection of public freedom and the national security requirements.

Under the decree, the armed forces and police should take whatever measures they see necessary to counter the threat of terrorism, maintain security across Egypt and protect public and private property, as well as civilian lives.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Egyptian government is implementing precautionary measures to try to contain the epidemic, including suspending the study and imposing a night curfew.

Last week, the Egyptian parliament finally agreed to amend the state of emergency law, giving the country’s president the right to take the necessary measures to face health emergencies.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi first imposed the three-month nationwide state of emergency in April 2017، following twin bombings at two churches in Gharbeya and Alexandria، which killed at least 47 and wounded over 120.

Egypt has been facing a wave of terror activities that killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians since the overthrow of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 and the later security crackdown on his loyalists, mostly from the currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Most of the terrorist attacks in Egypt over the past few years were claimed by a Sinai-based group affiliated with the regional ISIS militant group.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian army and police killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by El-Sisi following Morsi's ouster.