Maat condemns the Sinai terrorist incident and appreciates the heroism of the Armed Forces soldiers

Supporters of terrorism are states and governments that violate Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions

Maat calls for the adoption of an international convention against terrorism on a human rights basis

Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist crime that affected the lives of the heroes of Egypt, the soldiers of the armed forces in their security station in central Sinai, and which resulted in the martyrdom of 12 Egyptian army men, between officers and recruits, after they clashed in a heroic battle with Elements of the terrorist organization, killing 15 of them.

The Maat Foundation condemns the incident and is in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and the great Egyptian people, and wishes to emphasize what it has reiterated in previous statements and reports, that the terrorism carried out by extremist takfirist elements with clear regional links has become the most prominent and important challenge to respecting human rights, especially the right to life. And in security and development, which is a challenge that is absolutely inconsistent with the importance attached by the international system to confront and address it.

Although more than fifteen years have passed since the issuance of Security Council Resolution No. 1373, which adopted a tough rhetoric towards organizations and states that support terrorism, and included in its second article an explicit provision that compels states not to provide any kind of support, explicit or implicit, to persons involved in committing crimes The same article also included a ban on states to provide safe havens for those who commit, finance or support terrorist operations, and it was prohibited from making their territories a starting point for that criminal package of aggressive acts, but what the international and regional arena is currently witnessing testifies that this decision is being violated in a way. Recurring.

There are countries in the region and abroad that still harbor terrorists, and even grant them the right to political asylum and allow them to launch media outlets from their territories, and there is ample evidence that terrorist organizations in the Arab region receive financial and logistical support from governments, regimes and political groups known by name.

Although the United Nations Human Rights Council had adopted a resolution in its session held in March 2015 (the 28th session) related to the impact of terrorism on the enjoyment of human rights, it called on states to reject all forms of support provided to terrorist groups, and stressed international mechanisms for the protection of human rights and mandate-holders Especially the High Commissioner, the necessity to give this topic sufficient attention in the scope of their work, but no nutritious progress has been made so far in the development of international mechanisms to protect human rights to match the requirements of confronting terrorist crimes, which have become more widespread and dangerous than before.

From here, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights calls for the necessity to strive for the issuance of a binding international convention against terrorism on a human rights basis, and calls on all civil society forces and international mechanisms to protect human rights to engage in advocacy efforts for the United Nations General Assembly to adopt this necessary document, and to strengthen international mechanisms. And regional efforts to monitor and follow up on the impact of terrorism on respect for human rights, and to uncover the countries and groups that provide support, cover and sanctuary to terrorist organizations.

On the domestic level, Maat Foundation calls on all national forces and institutions to join hands and support the efforts of the Egyptian Armed Forces in combating terrorism in North Sinai, and to differentiate between positions and political options on the one hand and the supreme national interest on the other.