Protesters in Shebas al-Malh Village in Kafr al-Sheikh Governorate forced the closure of all municipal facilities on Thursday, including the city council and police station. The demonstrators blocked the main Desouk-Abu Ghoneima Road, preventing all cars — including garbage trucks transporting rubbish out of the village — from passing.
Local residents were protesting against what they called dire living conditions in the midst of deteriorating municipal services, neglected infastructure and the mistreatment of the families of four workers who died while conducting maintenance work on the village’s wastewater system a few days ago. They blamed the Kafr al-Sheikh Sewage Authority’s negligence for the workers’ deaths.
Although the Kafr al-Sheikh governor issued a statement ordering the payment of compensation to the victims’ families, residents claim no such payments have yet been made, and furthermore no state officials have offered their condolences regarding the incident.
Later in the day protesters did allow some vehicles to pass through their blockade, after the intercession of other village residents.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
