Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
Abdel Fattah Al-SisiReuters

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced on Monday that the country’s state of emergency will be lifted for the first time in years, Reuters reports.

"Egypt has become ... an oasis of security and stability in the region," Sisi wrote in a Facebook post. "Hence it was decided, for the first time in years, to cancel the extension of the state of emergency in all areas of the country."

The state of emergency was first declared by Sisi in April of 2017, following two deadly bombings on Coptic churches. It has since been extended several times at three-month intervals.

The state of emergency granted authorities sweeping powers to make arrests and crack down on what they call enemies of the state.

It was applied during the extension of a clampdown on political dissent under Sisi.

Egypt has also been fighting an insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula for several years, which at times has spilled over into other parts of the country. Most of the attacks have been claimed by the Sinai Province, the Islamic State (ISIS) affiliate in Egypt.

In February of 2018, Egypt launched operation “Sinai 2018” in an effort to rid the Sinai Peninsula of Islamic terrorists.