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International rights group Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Egypt’s destruction of hundreds of homes and urged for a stop to its “unlawful evictions” of residents to create a buffer zone with Gaza.
Egypt started working on the buffer zone in October to stem militants reportedly infiltrating the Sinai Peninsula – militants have stepped up attacks against Egyptian soldiers in the peninsula since the army ousted Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
“Egyptian authorities must halt the arbitrary demolition of hundreds of homes and mass forced evictions underway in Rafah, North Sinai in order to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip”, Amnesty International said.
“(They) have proceeded with the evictions completely ignoring key safeguards required under international law including consultation with residents, adequate prior notice, sufficient compensation for losses and granting alternative housing to those who cannot provide for themselves, rendering the evictions unlawful”, it added.
Over 800 houses are being demolished and 1,100 families will be displaced to build the 400-meter wide, 13.5 kilometer long buffer zone. The Egyptian military began demolishing homes along the Gaza border after militants attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai on October 24th, killing at least 30 soldiers.
“The scale of the forced evictions has been astonishing; the Egyptian authorities have thrown more than 1,000 families out of their homes in just a matter of days, flouting international and national law. Shocking scenes have emerged of homes in Rafah being bulldozed and bombed, with entire buildings reduced to piles of rubble and families forcibly evicted”, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said.
“Plans for expanding the buffer zone must not include further forced evictions. The human rights of the residents in North Sinai cannot just be trampled on in the name of security”, he added.