---
title: "Egypt: As Third Wave of Forced Eviction Impends, Rights Organizations Urge Halt to Displacement of North Sinai Residents"
slug: "egypt-as-third-wave-of-forced-eviction-impends-rights-organizations-urge-halt-to-displacement-of-north-sinai-residents"
post_type: "post"
published_at: "2026-06-23T15:11:20+01:00"
modified_at: "2026-06-23T15:17:46+01:00"
author: "ahamdy"
url: "https://cihrs.org/egypt-as-third-wave-of-forced-eviction-impends-rights-organizations-urge-halt-to-displacement-of-north-sinai-residents/?lang=en"
category:
  - "Egypt /Road Map Program"
  - "Statements and Position Papers"
causes_and_rights:
  - "Citizenship"
  - "Protection of Civilians"
country:
  - "Egypt"
field:
  - "Regional and International Protection and Advocacy"
interest:
  - "Statements and Positions"
---

# Egypt: As Third Wave of Forced Eviction Impends, Rights Organizations Urge Halt to Displacement of North Sinai Residents

The undersigned human rights organizations are deeply concerned by the forced eviction [measures](https://www.facebook.com/100069239228714/posts/1323476539970308/) and practices being undertaken by the Egyptian military against residents of the villages of Al-Kharafin and Al-Muqata'a in North Sinai, and communities in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed. Residents are being forced to leave lands to which they only recently returned and rebuilt through their own efforts, after years of displacement and forced eviction resulting from military operations in North Sinai. According to eyewitnesses, residents have been subjected to intensifying pressure to leave their homes and lands since the beginning of June through repeated field campaigns conducted by military units affiliated with the Al-Zohour Camp, a Second Field Army base in Sheikh Zuwayed. Verbal orders demanding immediate evacuation and threats of arrest or punishment targeting anyone who refuses to comply or leave have been reported, as has the military’s demolition of temporary shelters (‘araysh’) and its dismantling of solar panels used to operate agricultural wells. Dozens of families have already left the area, as indicated by testimonies, despite the absence of any official announcement explaining the reasons behind these measures or clarifying the fate of the affected families. One resident of Al-Muqata'a village described how the measures have escalated gradually throughout June:

‘At first, they told us to remove the shelters, then they ordered us to take down the solar panels, and after that they told us to evacuate the entire area. They came almost every day with light equipment to demolish the shelters. They didn't leave a single shelter standing in the area. If a family was living in a house, they told them to take whatever belongings they could carry.’

 Another resident added: ‘They would stand at the door and say, “Take out your furniture and remove the doors and windows. Do you want to bring a truck yourself, or should we bring one for you?”’

 Any projects or arrangements of a security or developmental nature should not come at the expense of citizens' fundamental rights, nor should they be implemented without meaningfully involving affected communities in decisions concerning their future, their lands, and their local communities. Financial compensation, even when provided, cannot serve as an adequate substitute in cases where land is closely tied to livelihoods, identity, and social belonging—particularly within Bedouin and tribal communities whose lives depend directly on agriculture and the land. These latest miliary field campaigns targeting civilians for forced eviction come amid an over decade-long crisis during which large areas of North Sinai have been subjected to [successive waves of displacement](https://sinaifhr.org/show/383) and forced migration. Since late 2013, at least 12,350 buildings—most of them homes—have been destroyed, while at least 14,300 feddans of agricultural land have been bulldozed, damaged, or rendered inaccessible. As a result, tens of thousands of residents were displaced and [lost both their homes and livelihoods](https://sinaifhr.org/show/383). Demolitions and land clearance operations continued after 2020 in Rafah, Sheikh Zuwayed, and Al-Arish, in practices that human rights reports have indicated may amount to [war crimes](https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/17/egypt-massive-sinai-demolitions-likely-war-crimes). In the years that followed, residents’ ‘right of return’ to the villages and areas from where they had been displaced has been a prominent human rights and humanitarian issue in North Sinai. In August 2023, hundreds of residents from Rafah and Sheikh Zuwayed organized peaceful sit-ins and gatherings under the slogan ‘We Want to Return \[*Widdna N‘awid*\]’ to demand permission to return to their lands and homes after years of displacement, inadequate alternatives, and insufficient compensation. These protests ended following meetings and [assurances from local and security officials](https://sinaifhr.org/show/383) that residents' demands would be considered and solutions sought for the return process. However, authorities subsequently pursued a number of participants in these [peaceful actions](https://sinaifhr.org/show/233) and referred dozens of them to military trial in [Case No. 80 of 2023](https://sinaifhr.org/show/482), Ismailia Military Felonies, widely known as the ‘[Right of Return](https://sinaifhr.org/show/441)’ case. In December 2024, a [presidential pardon](https://sinaifhr.org/show/445) covered 54 individuals convicted in the case, while others remained in detention. The case had already drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations and [UN experts](https://sinaifhr.org/show/435), who contended that residents' demands to return to their lands constitute a legitimate right that should not be criminalized. Article 63 of the Egyptian Constitution prohibits arbitrary forced displacement of citizens in all its forms and considers it a crime not subject to any statute of limitations. Article 78 likewise guarantees the right to adequate and safe housing that preserves human dignity and promotes social justice. Relevant international standards, including the [UN Guiding Principles](https://www.unhcr.org/media/guiding-principles-internal-displacement) on Internal Displacement, similarly affirm that authorities are obligated to protect populations from arbitrary displacement, explore all possible alternatives before resorting to measures that lead to displacement, ensure affected persons are informed of the reasons and anticipated consequences of such measures, prevent homelessness and loss of livelihoods, and provide appropriate compensation, suitable alternatives, and durable solutions. These principles and obligations are especially important given that most of the families now facing eviction were previously displaced due to military operations and security restrictions imposed across North Sinai since 2014. Many only returned to their lands in recent years as military operations subsided and aspects of civilian life gradually resumed. Any measures that result in their displacement once again, without publicly declared and necessary legal justification and without adequate guarantees of protection, compensation, and suitable alternatives, raise serious concerns about violations of their constitutionally and internationally protected rights to return and stability. Such measures also threaten to leave them in a state of perpetual displacement and prevent them from reclaiming their land and property. Several UN Special Rapporteurs and independent experts expressed serious concerns regarding displacement-related violations in North Sinai in two communications addressed to the Egyptian authorities and published in [October 2024](https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29322) and [June 2026](https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=30776). They called on the authorities to clarify the alternatives considered before resorting to displacement, ensure that affected persons are not rendered homeless, provide alternative housing and adequate compensation, and create conditions that enable the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of displaced persons to their original areas. They also underscored the need to protect residents' property, prevent the recurrence of displacement-related violations, and respect the rights of local communities whose livelihoods are closely linked to land and agriculture. The undersigned organizations fear that the ongoing measures will undermine the gradual recovery of civilian and agricultural life in North Sinai's villages and communities over recent years, push residents back into cycles of displacement, instability, and uncertainty regarding their future, lands, and property, and negate the efforts they have made to rebuild their communities and restore their livelihoods after years of forced displacement. Accordingly, the organizations call on the Egyptian authorities to: - **Immediately halt** any eviction measures or field-level pressure targeting the residents of Al-Muqata'a, Al-Kharafin, Abu Kabrit, and neighboring communities until the legal basis for such measures is officially and clearly announced.
- **Disclose** the security, developmental, or administrative reasons underlying the ongoing actions and ensure that complete information is made available to affected residents.
- **Refrain from using threats, coercion, or intimidation** to force residents to leave their homes and lands.
- **Ensure that no family is rendered homeless or deprived of their livelihood** and provide appropriate alternatives before implementing any measures that affect residents' stability.
- **Open a serious and transparent dialogue** with representatives of local communities, residents, and elected bodies regarding the future of the area and any projects or arrangements that may affect residents' rights.
- **Guarantee fair and adequate compensation** for affected individuals for any damage to their property, land, or sources of income, in accordance with relevant constitutional and international standards.
- **Respect the right of North Sinai residents to stability and to a safe and dignified return** to their original areas, and refrain from exposing them to repeated waves of displacement and forced eviction.
 
 The reconstruction of North Sinai and the achievement of sustainable development cannot be accomplished through measures that lack transparency or disregard the rights of local residents. These people, who have endured years of conflict and displacement, and who have contributed to restoring life to their communities, deserve fair policies grounded in participation and the rule of law—policies that guarantee their security, dignity, and rights, and prevent the recurrence of the humanitarian tragedies that the region has witnessed over the past decade. **Signatory organizations:**1. Sinai Foundation for Human Rights
2. Egyptian Front for Human Rights
3. Egyptian Human Rights Forum
4. El Nadeem Center
5. EgyptWide for Human Rights
6. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
7. Law and Democracy Support Foundation
8. Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms