Egyptian troops have opened fire on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi near a Republican Guard barracks in Cairo during protests against his removal and a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood
News agencies reported that several people were injured by
the gunfire at the facility where Morsi loyalists believe the former
leader is being held. Reuters reported that three people were killed but
this could not be confirmed.
Reuters also quoted a military spokesman as saying that soldiers fired blank rounds and tear gas but no live rounds.
Tens of thousands of Morsi loyalists are protesting against
the toppling of Egypt’s first democratically elected president in what
they are calling “Friday of Rejection”. Supporters of the military also
plan to gather for a celebration in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
State television reported dozens injured in street fighting
between pro- and anti-Morsi protesters in the Nile Delta town of Tanta.
Local media reported clashes also broke out between Christians and
Muslims in Luxor.
The military has said it would allow demonstrations provided
they do not pose “a threat to social peace, the national interest and
[damage] the security and economy in our precious Egypt”.
The African Union on Friday announced that it was suspending Egypt
as a result of Mr Morsi’s ousting and would send a team to Egypt to
“work towards restoring constitutional order”. Egypt was not suspended
when Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011.
The Mubarak-era prosecutor-general removed by Mr Morsi and
reinstated following his overthrow has abruptly resigned, the state-run
Mena news agency reported. Mahmoud Abdel-Meguid, who was loathed by
Islamists as well as the leftwing and liberal activists he once
prosecuted, said his departure one day after his reinstatement was to
“avoid the embarrassment of making judicial decisions against those who
removed me from office”.
Egyptian state media reported that Adli Mansour,
the interim president, was to issue a constitutional declaration on
Friday, paving the way for the formation of a new assembly to draft a
new constitution.
State television also reported that several soldiers were
injured when Islamist fighters opened fire at El-Arish airport near the
Gaza Strip and Israel at three military checkpoints. The security
services were put on a high state of alert in Suez and South Sinai, home
to many popular beach resorts.
The report did not say whether the attacks were linked to Mr Morsi’s ousting.
Pro-Morsi protests are expected across the country. The
Brotherhood’s website Amlalommah called on supporters in the city of
Alexandria “to participate in the million-strong demonstration to reject
the military coup” that will start after Friday prayers.
The military, which ousted Mr Morsi on Wednesday night and
installed Mr Mansour on Thursday, have arrested or ordered the detention
of scores of Brotherhood figures. News agencies reported on Thursday
that Mohamed Badie, the head of the group, had been arrested but this
was denied on the Brotherhood’s Twitter account.
Egyptian state television said 56 people had been killed and 2,495 injured since the start of the protests on Sunday.
The army command said in a release posted on its Facebook
page: “Wisdom, true nationalism and constructive human values that all
religions have called for, require us now to avoid taking any
exceptional or arbitrary measures against any faction or political
current.”
It added: “Peaceful protest and freedom of expression are
rights guaranteed to everyone, which Egyptians have earned as one of the
most important gains of their glorious revolution.
“Excessive use of this right without reason could carry some
negative implications, including blocking roads, delaying public
benefits and destroying institutions, posing a threat to social peace,
the national interest and damaging the security and economy in our
precious Egypt.”
Mohamed Kamel Amr, Egypt’s caretaker foreign minister, said
John Kerry, US secretary of state, had reiterated the need to uphold
human rights.
“He was worried about the status of human rights,” Mr Amr
was quoted by Reuters as saying. “Understandably. I assured him there is
no retribution, no acts of vengeance, that nobody will be treated
outside the law.”
“I told him that the main aim of the military now is to
maintain security. There will be no acts of violence, no acts of
exclusion. Everybody will be included. The idea is to have everybody
participating in the transitional process.”