CAIRO: The North Sinai curfew, imposed by the army since October 2014, will be adjusted on Friday; the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab was quoted by state news agency MENA Tuesday.
The curfew will be shortened for one hour only to end at 5 a.m. in North Sinai in order to allow Muslim residents to perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer scheduled for Friday at 05:20 am. After the holy month of Ramadan ends, Muslims gather in open areas to perform a prayer that celebrates the feast.
The curfew was initially imposed for three months per a presidential decree on October 25 following deadly attacks on military checkpoints in North Sinai that killed at least 30 security personnel. The curfew was extended twice in January and April; each time for three months.
The curfew is expected to be extended by July 25 for another three months as Egypt witnesses a rise in militancy since the military-backed ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his rule.
Following a Saturday car bomb blast at the Italian Consulate in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian government has pushed to issue a controversial “anti-terrorism” law that calls for new measures to help the government crack down on the rising militant attacks in the country.