SINAI, Egypt, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A member of Egypt's Bedouin population says it may take up arms against the military junta if demands for more representation in the government are not met.
In a meeting Friday, Bedouin leaders warned armed conflict may be imminent, and accused the Supreme Council of Armed Forces of treason. They allege parliamentary elections were designed in the council's favor and marginalize the Bedouin community.
Musad Abu Fajr, a prominent Bedouin blogger, told Bikyamasr.com: "The military has committed treason against Egypt. They forgot how we assisted them against the Israelis in the 1973 war for Sinai."
Bedouin leader Ahmed Ayoub of the Northern Sinai Alliance of tribes told Bikyamasr.com armed conflict should be seen as a last resort.
"We don't like to see violence become a means for our voices to be heard, but what we have been facing and what we are still facing means alternatives must be looked into," he said.
The Bedouin community runs and directs most tourism in Sinai along the Red Sea coast; however, members reportedly have been targeted in government crackdowns in the last few years.
