EgyptEgypt declares month-long state of emergency; hundreds die in clashes
About 150 Egyptians were killed during the early hours of Wednesday in clashes between Egyptian security forces and armed supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood as the Egyptian police and army moved to clear two sit-in camps in which supporters of Mohammen Morsi had been barricading. Well-organized Brotherhood supporters set police stations and government building on fire in several cities. Brotherhood followers also burned down the Alexandria public library and five churches. The Egyptian government has declared a month-long state of emergency throughout the country. The main features of the state of emergency include a curfew which would run from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. in eleven of Egypt’s twenty-seven provinces, including Suez, heavy presence of military units in cities and towns, and restrictions on movement and travel.
About 150 Egyptians were killed during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday as Egyptian security forces moved to clear two sit-in camps in which supporters of Mohammen Morsi had been barricading.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the raids were carried out as “a last resort” after serious government efforts to mediate a safe exit for protesters.
“After six long weeks of illegal, unauthorized sit-ins,” and after finding evidence of “torture” in the encampments, Egypt’s prosecutor general authorized security forces to break up the camps, Badr Abdelatty, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a statement.
Egypt’s Interior Ministry said its forces arrested 543 people involved in Wednesday’s clashes. “Some of them had heavy weapons, machine guns and birdshot, and huge amounts of ammunition,” the ministry said in a statement.
At the same time, the Egyptian government has declared a month-long state of emergency throughout the country. The contingency plans for imposing a state of emergency, developed by successive military regimes, have been on-file for decades, and have been dusted up for use this month.
The main features of the plan include a curfew which would run from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. in eleven of Egypt’s twenty-seven provinces, including Suez, heavy presence of military units in cities and towns, and restrictions on movement and travel.
Haaretz reports that security forces exchanged fire with demonstrators in the two sit-in camps in Cairo.
Well-organized supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, appearing to work from a prepared plan, fanned out in several cities and towns and set police stations and government building on fire in several cities.
Brotherhood followers also burned down the Alexandria public library, which, they charged, was spreading Western influence and ideas in Egypt.
Brotherhood supporters also burned down five churches.
The Egyptian Health ministry said that, so far, 149 have died and 1,403 were wounded.
Brotherhood spokesmen, in an effort to inflame the situation, initially claimed that 2,200 were killed and more than 10,000 wounded – but now say the number of dead is around 500 and the number of wounded around 3,000.
In response to Egypt’s actions, Turkey – which, along with Qatar, has been the Muslim Brotherhood’s staunchest supporter — today urged the UN Security Council and Arab League on to act quickly to stop a “massacre” in Egypt, and Iran warned of the risk of civil war.
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said international passivity had paved the way for the military-backed Egyptian government’s crackdown.
