Egypt Deploys Army to Sensitive Sites Ahead of Mass Protests

Egyptian military authorities decided to deploy army to protect the strategically important facilities and sites ahead of the nationwide protests expected to take place on Sunday, the Egyptian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – On Monday, celebrated in Egypt as the Sinai Liberation Day, activists across the the country are due to take to the streets to protest a recent decision by Cairo to cede control over two islands at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba to the Saudis.

"The military high command has issued an order to deploy field armies in their areas of responsibility so that they can participate in the Sinai Liberation Day celebrations together with the Egyptians and protect essential sites from those, who will decide to spoil the holiday," the statement published on Sunday said.

The statement added that the army troops, along with police forces would be used to patrol the streets and squares of the country's major cities.

On April 9, Cairo announced its decision to transfer the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Riyadh. Egypt has been in control of the two islands for over 60 years and the move has caused a wave of negative reactions among the country's nationals.

On April 15, several thousands of people participated in protests across the country against the move. During the protests police detained some 100 protesters, but later Egyptian Interior Ministry reported that the majority of them had been released.