[Editor: the number of victims increased to 23 dead and 44 wounded]
At a time when much uproar is created about the issue of Abū Fānā Monastery, another conflict on land was provoked between two families, of the same religion this time.
On July 3, 2008 a conflict between al-Kallāf family and al-Barbarī family erupted. Machine guns were used in the conflict that lasted from the early hours in the afternoon until about eight pm, as reported Akhbār al-Yawm of July 5, 2008. The conflicts resulted in 11 victims and seven injuries.
The conflict took place in Mīt al-‘Attār village, 12 kilometers from Banhā city. Akhbār al-Yawm reported on governor the declarations of al-Qalyūbīyah governor who stated that the conflict on the land dates back to 30 years ago.
The land subject of the conflict was originally a property of al-Badrāwī family. It named al-Kallāfīn after the agrarian land supervisor; al-Kallāf who was entitled to supervise the workers and take care of the land. 12 houses were built on the land for al-Kallāfs.
In 2001, Fathī Yūsuf Sayyid Rifā‘ī, known as al-Barbarī wanted to buy 40 feddāns of the land for the account of a woman whom he met accidentally “while he was escaping after committing a crime in the late 1980s.” When al-Kallāfs knew about the deal they proposed to buy the land themselves. A conflict arose and fake contracts were used to fail the deal by creating judicial troubles. However, the intervention of the villagers and mutual friends of al-Kallāfs and al-Barbarīs conciliated the situation and put a temporary end to the conflict. It was agreed then that the deal should be in behalf of Barbarī for giving up five feddāns for al-Kallāfs. Al-Kallāfs’ buildings occupy half a faddān.
Akhbār al-Yawm also published that Barbarī established their own “empire” on the bank of the Nile when he built a rural palace and fenced the area with palm trees and a huge wall that surrounded the whole area with one gate. The fence hindered the way of al-Kallāfs. It is said that al-Kallāf could not have an irrigation water pipe that should have gone through al-Barabrī’s area.
Two and half months ago, a conflict arose between the al-Kallāf and al-Barbarī in which the latter shot the first in the shoulder. Al-Kallāf did not respond and did not report the accident to the police.
However, he killed al-Barbarī with two of his family members. When the murdered family knew the killers they headed to al-Kallāf’s area and attacked all houses and shot all people they saw. They blazed fire in homes to oblige the inhabitants to go out and when those did they shot them. Women and children were killed. Akhbār al-Yawm provided detailed description of the horrific crime.
Moreover, al-Wafd of the same day reported that 13 were killed, three of them were children. al-Wafd also mentioned that the security apparatus arrested six major suspects were detained and still seeking other five.
Al-Dustūr reported on July 5, 2008 that 11 people were killed and 26 were injured in the conflict.
Al-Misrī al-Yawm of July 6, 2008 reported that the security arrested 6 and still seeking 11.
العربية