Shock waves from Sinai

Just when the world thought the Egyptian comeback was on track and there was hope of a fiscal resurgence, the violence in the Sinai attack has again turned a bleak spotlight on this pivotal Middle East country.
It requires no current affairs genius to appreciate a stable Egypt means a more stable region and an uneasy Egypt does tend to send tremors of concern. Also, there is something poignantly tragic about the slaying of soldiers by their own people, however militant or breakaway that killing group may be. Soldiers are not mercenaries and up for hire. They put on a uniform with pride and stake their lives to defend their country against foreign invasions. When such invasions are from within, the soldier is felled in fashion for which he is neither trained nor mentally prepared. You do not expect people of your own ilk to target you.
Yet, this seems to be the equation of the world in our times. Across the border wars have rendered place to sectarian conflict and now brother sets upon brother to soak the land with blood-spill. How can there be any honor in this? At present there are a minimum of 14 ongoing wars within the borders or what are now classified as internecine. Some are fifty years old. Can you imagine the number of deaths and wounded not to mention the needless stream of refugees and the millions of minor aged victims who die before they begin to live.
One can appreciate President El-Sissi’s exasperation and outrage at these wanton killings. But before indicting his predecessor Mohammed Mursi for being the mastermind through foreign funding it might be more prudent to lower the rhetoric and give the Mursi denial of any involvement a chance to breathe. The best move on this chessboard now would be for El-Sissi to establish a blueprint of common purpose with Mursi and ensure that he and his Brotherhood who have disavowed violence years ago are on the same page where the sanctity and security of Egypt is concerned. Otherwise this conflagration can spread swiftly across the Nile Delta and once it nibbles at the suburbs of Cairo there is no predicting how it can dramatically get out of hand.
While one is loath to support violence of any sort one can understand the posture adopted by El-Sissi in giving his generals the green signal to go on the offensive and shake a stick in the log to locate and destroy those that would assault soldiers of the commissioned army. In Egypt the armed forces are held in certain esteem and seen as the nation’s spine or strongest pillar. Any more such ambushes could bruise the military morale and El-Sissi seems to have a strong case that it will happen again unless he takes drastic and immediate action. Therefore the fire and brimstone tenor of his public address in the aftermath of the deaths of 30 soldiers.
For now, identifying the funding and the ‘foreign hand’ are an exercise on the side and will only gain importance once the militants have been contained.