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Following deadly clashes, Nile island residents keep up fight against evictions

The residents of al-Warraq island in Cairo woke up July 16 to see police and army forces implementing a government decision to remove all unlicensed buildings and illegal use of state-owned land.
Egyptians shout solgans against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the funeral of Syed Tafshan, who died in clashes with residents of the Nile island of al-Warraq island, when security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, in the south of Cairo, Egypt July 16, 2017. Picture taken July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTX3C1PO
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CAIRO — When Hala Fawzi, a resident of the Nile island of al-Warraq, left home to buy food, she never expected that she would return to find her home reduced to a pile of rubble. “My four children were inside the house. The neighbors saved them before security forces began the demolitions,” she said.

In the early hours of July 16, the residents of the island woke up to see police and army forces implementing a government decision to remove what the state described as unlicensed buildings and illegal use of state-owned land.

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