Egypt: Palm Sunday attacks on Coptic churches kill 45

Egyptian authorities have confirmed that at least 45 people died as a result of bombings staged against two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday (9 April 2017), according to CNN reporting on 11 April 2017. One of the attacks occurred inside a Coptic church in the northern city of Tanta and resulted in the death of 28 people. The other attack occurred in Alexandria when a suicide bomber was stopped from gaining entry into a Coptic church and blew himself up at the entrance, killing 17. Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility. The government has declared a three month state of emergency and promised to provide the families of victims with the equivalent of approximately 5,500 USD. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "The attack has been condemned by leaders of the Coptic Church, the government and also by leading Islamic clerics in the country. Nevertheless, several Egyptian Christians feel that the government is not doing enough to provide for their security and their sense of vulnerability is increasing. Evidence shows that the Christian community is deliberately being targeted for violent and cruel attacks by Islamic militants affiliated with IS and yet the government seems unable to prevent such attacks being carried out."