ISMAILIA, Egypt — Mohsen Hamed, the CEO of the Sinai Reconstruction Authority, a government body responsible for implementing development projects in the Sinai Peninsula, said that the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 will contribute significantly to a qualitative leap in development in this region. He clarified that the state is funding development projects in Sinai along with other bodies, such as Arab funds and Egyptian businessmen.

Hamed said in an interview with Al-Monitor that the Sinai tribes play a major national role in the global war on terrorism and serve as the driving force behind the expansion of development projects. He also noted that the state has allocated 275 billion Egyptian pounds ($15.3 billion) to the Sinai region until 2022.

The full text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor:  Nearly 10 months after the Egyptian army launched its counterterrorism campaign targeting Islamist insurgents in Sinai calm has returned to some of the peninsula’s cities. How is the government reassuring investors and developers that the conflict is over?