Security forces storm Qena’s Kom Hatim village after armed conflict kills at least 7

Security forces stormed the Kom Hatim village in Upper Egypt’s Qena on Saturday morning, two days after an armed conflict between two families began, killing six people and injuring three others.

Although security forces were unable to arrest any members of the al-Tawayel family or the al-Ghanayem family, the police was however able to demolish illegally-built homes according to media reports.

Clashes began on Thursday 10 August between the two families, resulting in the killing of a young man. The clashes then continued over the weekend, with an ambulance being caught in the crossfire of a shootout. One of those injured over the weekend reportedly died on Saturday, bringing the death toll to seven and the injuries to two, according to an anonymous security source cited on the privately-owned news website Masrawy. Qena prosecutors arrived at the Abou Tesht morgue on Saturday to examine forensic reports of three of the deceased.

It remains unclear how these clashes began. According to media reports, the conflict between the al-Tawayel and al-Ghanayem families began in 2004 when one of them died in a fight over a mobile credit recharging card.

The recent clashes between the al-Tawayel and al-Ghanayem families is the second major conflict between them in less than two years. In October 2016, clashes erupted that led to the lockdown of several schools, detaining the students within them in fear of being caught in the crossfire after one student was injured. Students did not attend school for several days afterwards as a safety measure. At least one person died and five were wounded. The conflict was eventually settled through traditional reconciliation sessions.

In June 2016, a 40-year-old farmer died in the middle of a shootout between the two families. In November of the same year, minor clashes wounded one student. In February 2017, another shootout between the families damaged electricity cables and led to a temporary blackout in the city.

The search for vengeance fed violence between the families, aided by the widespread possession and trade of arms common in Upper Egypt. The government has frequently been blamed for failing to implement the law, leaving residents to resort to traditional reconciliation sessions led by family leaders in order to restore peace.