Hello all,

While the situation in N Mali and Mauri seems to deteriorate, I am glad to report that the area of Al Uwainat and south of Gilf Kebir in Egypt's Western Desert appears to be a bit calmer than last year.

Two weeks ago we returned from a trip there. Apart from the usual smuggling activity, there's not much to report on the security front.

It could be because the Egyptan army has started monitoring activities in that area. There are now two army outposts (one at N 22.13643°, E 25.80658 °, and another near Karkur Talh at N 22.00028°, E 25.28928 °). The army even allowed us to spend a night inside Karkur Talh, something considered quite risky last year.

But it could be also down to the fact that we were one of the very first groups travelling in the Western Desert this autumn. Maybe the guys having their bases in Chad haven't started the hunting season yet.

The officer at one of the posts event told us that the army was sending from the north a dozen cars to patrol the borded area, so if we see a fleet of cars heading our way we should stop and say hello rather than run away. Luckily, we never never had a chance to be faced with such a hard decision.

While army presence south of Gilf Kebir is rather unprecedented, it should not be taken too seriously. From what we saw , this is a rather feeble attempt by the Egyptians to control their southern border.

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Roman (UK)