AFP
Egypt police disperse desert oasis protest

Sat Apr 19, 9:05 AM ET

CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian police used tear gas on 5,000 residents of a desert oasis on Saturday protesting a government decision to redraw provincial boundaries to their detriment, a security official said.

"About 5,000 protesters took to the streets, shouting and burning tyres around Bahariya," west of Cairo, the official said. "Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least 15 people were detained."

People were angry at a presidential decree on Thursday which "moved" them from Giza province to its poorer southern neighbour, Menya.

They will now have to travel up to 600 kilometres (372 miles) for government services in the city of Menya, instead of around 300 kilometres to Six October City in Giza.

The shift comes after two new provinces were created -- Six of October and Helwan, both south of Cairo.

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