The 2014 Farafra ambush (also called 2014 Al-Wadi Al-Gedid attack) occurred on 19 July 2014 when unidentified gunmen ambushed a desert checkpoint in the Farafra Oasis Road in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
's
New Valley Governorate
New Valley (or El Wadi El Gedid ( , )) is a governorate of Egypt. It is in the southwestern part of the country, in the south of Egypt Western Desert (part of the Sahara Desert), between the Nile, northern Sudan, and southeastern Libya.
Comp ...
. Twenty-two border guards were killed in the attack, which was one of the biggest since the July 2013 ouster of Egyptian president
Mohamed Morsi
Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012
Mohamed Morsi
Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012crackdown on his supporters. The same checkpoint was attacked less than two months earlier when five army conscripts were killed by gunmen.
The perpetrators of the second attack were initially described as
smugglers
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
by security officials interviewed by ''
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
'', who said that they are being paid by their militant comrades in Egypt to ship them weapons from Libya, a country plagued by
instability
In dynamical systems instability means that some of the outputs or internal states increase with time, without bounds. Not all systems that are not stable are unstable; systems can also be marginally stable or exhibit limit cycle behavior.
...
following the 2011
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
-backed
uprising
Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
that toppled
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...
.
Attack
The checkpoint, situated on the Farafra Oasis Road near the borders with Libya, was attacked by 20 gunmen, initially described as smugglers, in weapon-mounted vehicles with machine guns as well as
rocket-propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), also known colloquially as a rocket launcher, is a Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon that launches rockets equipped with a Shaped charge, shaped-charge explosive warhead. Most RPGs can ...
s that were used to blow up an ammunitions storage. After the 30-minute exchange of fire, the checkpoint was destroyed, with twenty-one soldiers killed, some of them burned, and some others wounded. This was followed by clashes where three of the attackers were killed by security forces. The militants also tried to infiltrate the site with two booby trapped vehicles, but the army said that they were retrieved and defused by bomb experts. Ambulances were sent to the location, as well as reinforcements which included army helicopters and special forces to hunt down the militants.
Investigation
Military investigations showed that one of the vehicles used was stolen from the previous incident on the same checkpoint. They also indicated that the attack was planned and that heavy
cast bullet
A cast bullet is made by allowing molten metal to solidify in a mold. Most cast bullets are made of lead alloyed with tin and antimony; but zinc alloys have been used when lead is scarce, and may be used again in response to concerns about lead to ...
s were found at the site. The slain attackers were held by authorities and were later identified as non-Egyptians by the military prosecutor. A security source suspected the involvement of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, adding that an Islamic black standard was raised during the assault.
Convictions
On 11 October 2017, thirteen people were sentenced to death by a military court for their involvement in the attack—twelve of them ''in absentia''. An additional ten people were convicted ''in absentia'' in December 2017, including Hesham Ashmawy of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis. Ashmawy was captured by the
Libyan National Army
The Libyan National Army (LNA; , ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii''), also known as the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; , ''al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii'') or the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF; ), is a component of Libyan Armed Forces, Libya's mil ...
on 8 October 2018, and extradited to Egypt in May 2019. In November 2019, he was sentenced to death for the attack, as well as for thirteen other crimes.
Reactions
Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014.
After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...
issued a presidential decree where he announced three days of national mourning, calling the incident a "terrorist attack". The presidency released a statement saying that the "heinous crime that took these brave souls and spilled their blood will not go unanswered". "Terrorism will be uprooted from every part of Egypt. All those responsible for perpetrating these acts and acting outside of the law will receive their rightful punishment," the statement added. The government declared a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
along the borders with
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
several hours after the attacks, while Defense Minister
Sedki Sobhi
Sedki Sobhy Sayyid Ahmad ( ; born 12 December 1955) is an Egyptian politician and former General who was Minister of Defence of Egypt from 2014 until 2018. Sobhy previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from August 2012 ...
's concerns were about the Egyptian-Libyan border due to weak Libyan government measures to counter the threat of weapons' smuggling into Egypt. He added that the military was coordinating with the Interior Ministry in a large surveillance operation in the area. The president-led National Defence Council met the same night, where it was vowed that the attack would be avenged.
The assault was also condemned by Prime Minister
Ibrahim Mahlab
Ibrahim Roshdy Mahlab (, ; born 8 May 1949) is an Egyptian engineer and politician who was the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1 March 2014 until 19 September 2015. Previously he served as Minister of Housing.
Career
Mahlab joined the Arab Cont ...
, the country's
Grand Mufti
A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...
Shawki Allam
Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam () is the 19th Grand Mufti of Egypt through Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, succeeding Ali Gomaa. He is succeeded by Nazeer Ayyad on the 11th of August 2024, following a presidential decree.
Biography
Allam was born in ...
,
Al-Azhar
Al-Azhar Mosque (), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic Islamic core of the city. Commissioned as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 970, it was the first mosque established in a city that ...
, the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
, as well as the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights. The Dostour Party rejected it as a "cowardly criminal attack on soldiers carrying out their duty" and offered condolences to families of the slain officers and called on the government to arrest the perpetrators.
Hamdeen Sabahi
Hamdeen Sabahi (, ; born 5 July 1954) is an Egyptian politician and journalist. He is a former presidential candidate and currently the leader of the Egyptian Popular Current and a co-leader of the National Salvation Front.
An opposition act ...
's
Popular Current
The Egyptian Popular Current ( ') is a movement in Egypt, created after the 2012 presidential elections by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi. The movement was formed on 21 September 2012. The movement formed the Popular Current Party ...
criticized the government and held it responsible for the incident, demanding more effective counter-terrorism measures and the arrest of the attackers to be brought to trial.
;International
* – Secretary-General of the Arab League,
Nabil Elaraby
Nabil Elaraby (; 15 March 1935 – 26 August 2024) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the 7th Secretary General of the Arab League from 1 July 2011 to 3 July 2016. Elaraby also had roles in the United Nations, holding positions at t ...
, condemned the incident, adding that it was an attempt to destabilize Egypt's security and stability. He also stressed the league's support for the country against all forms of terrorism.
* – France's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in a statement, offering its condolences to the victims' families. "France stands beside the authorities and people of Egypt in their fight against terrorism," it added.
* – Jordanian Minister of State and Media Affairs, Mohamed al-Momani, condemned the attack and expressed the kingdom's solidarity with the Egyptian people in their struggle against terrorism stressing Jordan's position "which rejects all acts of terrorism and violence regardless of the motives and sources". Later that day, King
Abdullah II
Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...
phoned both Egypt and
Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
's presidents, due to a similar attack in Tunisia two days earlier, offering them his condolences and condemning "such cowardly terrorist acts". He also expressed his solidarity with Egypt and Tunisia, as well as the families of the victims.
* – The Sudanese government condemned the attack, stressing its "keenness on Egypt's security and stability" and rejecting any similar act. "The government of Sudan would like to convey through the Foreign Ministry the condolences and sympathy of the Sudanese people and government to the Egyptian government and people as well as the families and relatives of the martyrs", it said in a statement.
* – The Tunisian presidency released a
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
statement condemning the attack. "Tunisia condemns this terrorist and coward attack on the Egyptian army," the statement said. It also offered condolences to the Egyptian people and government.
* – Minister
Tobias Ellwood
Lieutenant Colonel Tobias Martin Ellwood (born 12 August 1966) is a former British Conservative Party politician and soldier who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth East from 2005 to 2024. He chaired the Defence Select ...
of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom.
The office was created on 2 ...
condemned the attack, offering his condolences and his support for the investigation. "I strongly condemn the appalling terrorist attack on a border guard checkpoint near Farafra on Saturday. My thoughts are with the families of those killed and wounded and all those affected. The Egyptian authorities have our support as they investigate this incident and seek to prevent further attacks," he said.
* – The
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
released a press statement condemning the incident. "We extend our condolences to the families of the victims, and hope for the quick and full recovery of the wounded. A prosperous and dynamic Egypt requires an environment of security and stability, and the United States continues to support the Egyptian Government’s efforts to counter the threat of terrorism in Egypt as part of our commitment to the strategic partnership between our two countries," the statement read.