Local Editor
Three years after Egyptians rose up to demand the overthrow of Mubarak, thousands of demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday chanted slogans backing another military man, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as police clashed with Brotherhood supporters elsewhere.Nearly 50 people were killed in weekend clashes that erupted during rival rallies marking the anniversary of Egypt's 2011 that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the health ministry said Sunday.
Forty-nine people were killed, the ministry said, in 24 hours of fighting across Egypt as police and supporters of the military-installed government clashed with backers of ousted president Mohammad Mursi, who was deposed in July after a single turbulent year in power.
Egypt was already on edge after four bombs exploded in Cairo on Friday, wich were claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an Al-Qaeda-inspired group, all of which targeted police, and urged "Muslims" to stay away from police buildings.
Of the 49 people killed, most died in Cairo and its suburbs, and others in Alexandria and Minya, the health ministry said on Sunday, adding 247 people were injured.
The interior ministry said 1,079 "rioters" were arrested.
Some political figures encouraged Egyptians to turn out in support of the interim government, and some politicians called for rallies to back Sisi, whose popularity has skyrocketed among Egyptians craving stability.
The Anti-Coup Alliance which backs Mursi also urged its supporters to continue their "revolutionary movement" on Sunday in Cairo and other provinces.
Source: AFP | 26-01-2014 - 11:23 Last updated 26-01-2014 - 11:23 |
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