Thousands of Egypt's Bedouin on Friday burnt tires and blocked roads across the peninsula protesting their mistreatment at the hands of the government, said security and tribal officials.

Some 5,000 Bedouins gathered in the village of el-Massoura near the Israeli border demanding basic services and the release of the members of their community detained in security sweeps following terrorist attacks against tourism sites over the last few years.

"They keep stalling in releasing our sons," tribal leader Sheik Moussa el-Delh told the Associated Press by phone. "We lack basic services, we don't even have running water. We are not asking for too much, we just want to be treated like humans."