Pro-Morsi protesters in Cairo. Image from AJE video
A state of emergency has been called after at least 421 people were killed in “major military assault” to clear the Muslim Brotherhood protesters from the two makeshift camps they have occupied in Cairo since the ousting of Mohamed Morsi.
President Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood have put the number of casualties far higher at more than 100, but witnesses on the ground are reporting seeing around 40-60 bodies. Among those killed was Asmaa el-Beltagy, who is the 17-year-old daughter of leading Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed el-Beltagy, and Sky News cameraman Mick Deane.
The dawn security operation included armoured bulldozers, which moved in to clear the tents and makeshift constructions under the cover of tear gas. Short bursts of gunfire were also reported by those at the scene, but the interior ministry have denied that any of the casualties were a result of firing live ammunition at the protesters. In a statement, they said:
“Security forces used only tear gas canisters to disperse the protesters though it was heavily fired at by armed elements from inside the two protest camps, causing the death of an officer and a conscript and the injury of four policemen and two conscripts”
These actions to clear the camps in Nahda Square and the site outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the north-east of the city, were expected, and had been threatened by the security forces for weeks, with the current plans leaked two days ago.
The political upheavel in egypt has become a “winner takes all” situation, with the liberal-backed army and the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Islamists both looking to dominate the future political landscape without sharing power. Many have called for calm and dialogue inclluding British Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, but nether side is looking for compromise.
#Egypt: Deeply concerned at events continuing today in #Cairo leading to deaths and injury. Restraint and dialogue more urgent than ever
— Alistair Burt (@AlistairBurtMP) August 14, 2013
The interior ministry maintained that they would not attempt to find or prosecute those protesting if they left peacefully, but several Muslim Brotherhood leaders have reportedly been arrested by the authorities, with the bloodshed creating panic amongst the protesters.
The clashes have not been limited to Cairo, with five people reportedly killed in Suez
More than 250 people have died in the clashes between pro-Morsi protesters and the security services since Morsi was overthrown on the July 3rd, with clashes in cities across the country.
