Cairo - security advice for travel around Egypt

Posted: 14/02/2013

RPS Partnership has consultants in Egypt and they are keeping abreast of the security situation there. Cairo is often in the news, but many travellers want to travel outside Cairo and it is often difficult to get sensbile information about this area. The following provides the traveller with advice and recommendations based on the latest security information from Egypt.

RPS Partnership recommends that unless you have to travel to the Sinai: the Governorate of South Sinai, you should consider your need for travel.  If imperative, then ensure you have appropriate security in place. Sharm el Sheikh is the exception and is still a popular resort for holidays, with no security concerns at the moment.

Travel to the tourist attraction of St Catherine's Monastery

Kidnapping and carjacking are two crimes receiving much more attention in Egypt over the past several months. The vast majority of kidnappings appear to be solely within the Egyptian community. Often carried out in an attempt to settle a dispute among neighbours, rivals or tribes, or simply targeting a person known to be affluent.

The cases generally seem to be settled quickly with the ransom being paid, with children often the targeted victim.  Perhaps to some degree, the kidnappers hope for a quick payoff, therefore intentionally avoiding the publicity likely to come with kidnapping a higher profile business person or foreigner.  While unnerving and not to be dismissed, there is nothing to suggest this has risen to great concern within the international traveller. 

However, it is much more prevalent in the Sinai, with tourists at times being targeted.  In late January 2012, Bedouin tribesmen kidnapped 24 Chinese cement factory workers and a translator in Egypt's Sinai region and held them for 15 hours.  In February 2011, two American citizens were taken at gunpoint off a tour bus near St. Catherine’s monastery.  Egyptian security forces negotiated their return, unharmed approximately six hours later.  Approximately one week later, three South Korean tourists were kidnapped in the same area and also released a short time later unharmed.  In all three instances, the kidnappers were seeking concessions from the Government of Egypt and used the victims as negotiation points.

Travel from Cairo to Nag Hammadi, Fayum, and Akhmim

If you are going to travel from Cairo to Nag Hammadi, Fayum and Akhmim, RPS Partnership recommends a high degree of caution.

One of the rising threats to tourist and these areas are the increased periods of sectarian unrest and violence between Muslims and Coptic Christians.  In 2011-2012 Sectarian violence continued with numerous clashes in Sohag, Qena, and Asuyit that resulted in the burning of places of worship.  The reoccurrence of sectarian violence between the Muslim and Coptic communities remains a growing concern, particularly in Upper Egypt.

Road safety and driving in Egypt

Vehicle accidents remain a significant safety consideration throughout Egypt.  Driving in Egypt, a country with one of the highest occurrences of road fatalities per mile driven in the world is a 'challenge' and not for the fainthearted. RPS Partnership would only recommend driving if you have to and if you are a very confident, assertive driver.

RPS Partnership recommends that even seasoned residents of Cairo must use extreme care and situational awareness to navigate the hectic streets of the capital.  Traffic rules are routinely ignored by impatient drivers.  Drivers should be prepared for: unlit vehicles at night, few if any road markings, vehicles travelling at high rates of speed, vehicles travelling the wrong way on one-way streets, divided highways and connecting ramps, pedestrians constantly dodging in and out of traffic, and a variety of animals wandering the roadways.

Most traffic lights in Cairo appear not to function; instead, the main intersections are normally staffed by policemen who use finger and hand movements to indicate which cars may move.  However, since the revolution, there have been fewer policemen filling this role, so the watch out at intersections!

When travelling through the Sinai and into the Sinai desert the biggest threat at the moment is the opportunist criminal, who will carry out anything from kidnapping to vehicle jacking at gunpoint.  The limited security presence and low tourist turnout have made this area a haven for these types of gangs.

Moving from Cairo to the other locations in the South West of Egypt Is relativity easy, however there has been a recent increase in sectarian violence, and travellers should bear this in mind when planning their routes.

RPS Partnership can advise you on the latest security situation in Egypt and assist in planning your travel safely to put sensible and workable security precautions in place. Contact [email protected]

Photos of Cairo taken by RPS consultants - Driving through Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Police having a break from the sun

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