Update: NCHR to investigate attacks on Minya’s Christians

Security forces conducted a massive counterinsurgency campaign on Monday morning in the Minya village of Delga, which was largely controlled by Islamist powers over the last month.

The National Council for Human Rights issued a statement later in the day declaring that it would form a special committee to investigate sectarian attacks in Upper Egypt, particularly Minya.

In the late afternoon, Minya Governor General Salah Zyada told state television that security forces have taken complete control of Delga, and that most of the “criminal elements” there have been arrested.

In his phone interview, Zyada accused the Muslim Brotherhood of betraying the nation, allying with criminals and plotting sectarian strife and attacks on churches.

The Muslim Brotherhood made statements critical of Monday’s security operation on its official Twitter account. The group accused security forces of failing to protect places of worship, and then using the attacks to justify a crackdown on Islamists.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Interior released a statement claiming that the ongoing campaign has led to the arrest of 56 suspects accused of attacking police buildings and Christian institutions, as well as the seizure of seven weapons.

Since former President Mohamed Morsi was forced out of power, individuals believed to belong to hardline Islamist groups have violently targeted Delga’s Christian residents, attacking their homes and churches in addition to state institutions.

Atef Shawky, a community leader in the neighboring village of Deir al-Barsha, told Mada Masr that Monday's security crackdown began at dawn. Four helicopters still continue to fly over the village, which is currently surrounded by around 70 armored vehicles, he said.

The Islamist insurgents who had seized the village did not offer much resistance to security forces, Shawky asserted, claiming that they surrendered after a brief exchange of gunfire with security forces, who then assumed control of the town.  

Shawky said that eight Christian families relocated to Deir al-Barsha in the last month, fearing for their lives.

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) released a statement documenting violations against Christians in Delga during this period.

According to the report, following mass demonstrations supporting Morsi that were organized in response to the June 30 protests calling for his resignation, local Muslim youth and children took to Delga’s streets, chanting sectarian slogans and banging on the doors of Christian houses.

Following Morsi’s ouster on July 3, hundreds of Muslim residents in Delga attacked the Mar Girgis Coptic Catholic Church and the Islah Church, the report stated. In the following days, some Christian homes were looted. According to the report, the house of  one Christian resident was set on fire after he shot at his assailants; in retaliation, his wife was pulled out of their home and shot dead in the street. Another Christian resident was reportedly stabbed as he walked in the streets of the village while protesters chanted into megaphones, inciting violence against Christians.

The report also noted that groups of Muslim youths blocked the entrance of the village during these violent episodes, preventing police forces and ambulances from entering the town.