Egyptian police are expected to start taking action early on Monday against supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi who are gathered in protest camps in Cairo, security and government sources said on Sunday, a move which could trigger more bloodshed.
The camps are the main flashpoints in the confrontation between the army, which toppled Mohamed Morsi last month, and supporters who demand his reinstatement.
Five injured in clashes between pro and anti- Mohamed Morsi crowds
Five people were injured in confrontations between two rival marches, one for the army and the other for the Muslim Brotherhood and its ousted President Mohamed Morsi, in Kafr al-Sheikh on Sunday.
A Brotherhood march was circling the neighborhood, chanting pro- Mohamed Morsi slogans and carrying a banner with the ousted president’s picture on it when it clashed with a pro-army march chanting slogans in support of Egypt’s top army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Both sides have accused the other of starting the tension.
Egypt govt reaffirms backing for army’s fight against pro Mohamed Morsi terrorists
Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi reaffirmed on Sunday the government’s complete support for the army in its war against terror and its operation to purge Sinai from terrorism.
Attacks on security property and personnel have increased in the Sinai Peninsula since the army’s ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass demonstrations last month.
The government greeted conscripts serving in Sinai for their efforts in the fight against terror, the state news agency reported.
Beblawi insisted that the army and police are doing their best for Egypt’s stability, The cabinet’s media advisor said.
Brotherhood spokesman renews call for constitutional legitimacy amid Mohamed Morsi coup
Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman Ahmed Aref said on Sunday that the group’s response to any infinitives “depends on the return of constitutional legitimacy”, usually meaning the return of Mohamed Morsi.
Aref told Al-Jazeera that the Brotherhood differentiates between the Azhar as an institution and its imam, Ahmed al-Tayeb, who he accused of supporting the “coup”, the state news agency reported.
Tayeb’s deputy, Mohamed Mehana, has revealed that so far no contact has been made with the parties expected to attend the meeting.
Egypt’s Azhar, the most prestigious Islamic institution, announced that it would convene different factions after Eid holidays to discuss possible scenarios to end the current political crisis.
A new political crisis erupted in the Middle East’s most populous country after the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass demonstrations last month.
UN calls for peaceful reconcilation in Egypt between pro, anti Mohamed Morsi camps
The United Nations (UN) said it is committed to fully support Egypt, in a statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon released on Friday.
Ban urged the Egyptian authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood supporters of Mohamed Morsi to “exercise their leadership and their responsibility to do whatever can be done to prevent further loss of life among the people.”
“Given the risk of potential violence, it is of critical importance for all sides in Egypt, those in positions of authority as well as those protesting in the street, to urgently reconsider their current actions and language,” the UN secretary general said.
Ban expressed his deep concern over “the political stalemate in Egypt” and appealed to Egyptians to avoid provocations that are likely to heighten tensions between both sides (supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and their opponents).
The UN leader urged the Egyptians to try to look creatively at new approaches toward a genuinely inclusive political process that would be rooted in reconciliation.
He applauded the deep courage and commitment of the Egyptian people towards peaceful change and freedom of expression.
