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Egypt Declares State Of Emergency, As Death Toll Climbs After Crackdown

August 14, 2013
by RFE/RL

Egypt's presidency has declared a nationwide state of emergency as the death toll continues to rise following a crackdown by security forces on Islamist protesters.

A statement from the presidency read out on state television on August 14 said the state of emergency would last one month.

It said interim President Adli Mansour has asked the army to back the police in maintaining security and protecting people's lives.

The Health Ministry, meanwhile, says at least 95 people were killed nationwide after security forces early on August 14 stormed two protest camps in Cairo set up by supporters of deposed Islamist President Muhammad Morsi.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood put the nationwide death toll at 2,200. Morsi was ousted and detained by the military on July 3 following huge popular protests against him.

Security forces backed by armored vehicles and bulldozers moved on the camps using tear gas and reportedly firing live ammunition. The authorities subsequently said they had cleared the Nahda Square camp, the smaller of the two sit-ins located near a Cairo university.

Protesters kept chanting after being forced out of the square.

The security operation against the larger camp outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque in the Nasr City neighborhood of the Egyptian capital appeared to have met with more resistance.

Security forces reportedly opened fire on stone-throwing protesters who were trying to join those already in the cordoned-off camp, where several Muslim Brotherhood leaders were staying.

Live broadcasts from the area showed large plumes of smoke and tear gas rising from a bridge overlooking the Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque, while helicopters hovered over the site.

Clashes Across Egypt

Deadly clashes between protesters and police were reported in several other cities. The Muslim Brotherhood has urged Egyptians to take to the streets to 'stop a massacre.'

There were reports of clashes in the cities of Minya and Assiut between Islamist protesters and security forces on August 14.

Security forces fired tear gas at thousands of Morsi supporters who had set part of a church on fire in Minya. In Assiut, about 3,000 Morsi supporters clashed with police.

State television said more than 200 people were arrested, some allegedly carrying light weapons. Rail services across Egypt were suspended, reportedly to prevent pro-Morsi supporters from converging on Cairo.

During the Cairo violence, Mick Deane, a cameraman for British news channel Sky News was shot dead, while a Voice of America reporter was pulled from a car and briefly detained by police.

The government issued a statement saying security forces had showed the 'utmost degree of self-restraint.'

The government, which has pledged to hold new elections in about six months to return democratic rule to Egypt, urged the protesters not to resist the authorities, adding that Muslim Brotherhood leaders must stop inciting violence.

Appeals For Restraint

International reaction to the crackdown came quickly.

The European Union called on all sides to show restraint. 'Let me reiterate the EU's position that the violence does not lead to any solutions and that is why we are urging strongly all parties to exercise maximum restraint,' EU spokesman Peter Stano said.

Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton, said reports of deaths and injuries 'are extremely worrying.'

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged Egypt's interim government and Morsi's backers to avoid further bloodshed.

'We appeal to all political forces to return to dialogue and negotiations and avoid an escalation of the violence,' he said. 'Any further spillage of blood in Egypt must be prevented. We call on all sides to return to a political process that includes all political forces.'

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement that he was 'deeply concerned' about the situation in Egypt.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned violence used by security forces against protesters. His spokesman said Ban also called on all sides to work toward a peaceful reconciliation.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul told reporters in Ankara that armed intervention against Egyptian protesters was 'completely unacceptable.' Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office also called on the UN Security Council and the Arab League, to act 'immediately to halt the crackdown.'

Turkey's Islamist-rooted government has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of what it has called an 'unacceptable coup' after Egypt's military ousted Morsi, who was elected as president in June 2012.

With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/egypt-deaths-cairo- violence-morsi-camps/25074853.html

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Egypt Declares State Of Emergency, As Death Toll Climbs After Crackdown