Egypt on Verge of Chaos: Int’l Condemnation, Marches, Anti-Camp David Campaigns
Local Editor
Egyptians play tug of war between supporters of the ousted President Mohammad Mursi and the policemen following the evacuation of Muslim Brotherhood's sit-ins in Rabia al-Adawiyya and al-Nahda squares.
Pro-Mursi protesters in turn prompted to take other squares as centers for their movements and gather from mosques for their marches, which led on Saturday to clashes between the Egyptian police and Muslim Brotherhood supporters who have sieged themselves in al-Fatah Mosque in Cairo.
On this note, the National Alliance led by the Muslim Brotherhood mentioned in a statement, "Marches that will move from the mosques of Khatam al-Mursaleen, al-Mustakamah, Assad Ben al-Forat, and Khaled Ben Walid in Giza, al-Maraghi masjid in Helwan and al-Rayan masjid in al-Maadi will gather in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court."
"As for the marches that will move from the mosques of Heliopolis and al-Aziz Billah in al-Zaytoun, they will gather in Roxy Square," the statement added.
On another note, three Egyptian policemen were injured on Sunday morning in Sinai in an armed attack on a camp for central security forces south al-Arish.
A security source had noted that anonymous armed men opened fire then fled, indicating that the three injured security men were taken to the military hospital.
Politically, the Egyptian Cabinet is expected to hold a meeting led by its Interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi on Sunday to deliberate the latest developments.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Fahmi held a press conference on Sunday noon demanding the Western media to practice accuracy in covering Egypt's events.
He further noted that the decision of clearing the Brotherhood's protests was difficult, highlighting that the intervention of the armed forces was an exception and response to the public opinion.
He further called on Egyptians to "practice caution because maintaining the lives of peaceful people is a big responsibility."
Popular campaign in Egypt to revoke "Camp David" and refuse US aid
As the US embassy declared it would close its doors on Sunday and suspend usual consulate services, the Egyptian "Tamarod" [rebellion] movement initiated a signature campaign entitled "Stop Aid" to stop American aid and annul the shameful Camp David accord between Egypt and the "Israeli" entity.
After deliberation with political forces, Tamarod decided to officially join the "Stop Aid" campaign that calls on the Egyptian people to sign a form that demands boycott of US aid annually given to Egypt.
The movement reiterated that the campaign aims at restoring national sovereignty as before.
Ban Ki-Moon censures "excessive use of force" in Egypt
Internationally, the United Nation's Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon strongly condemned on Saturday the attacks on churches, hospitals and public facilities in Egypt, stressing this is unacceptable, and appealed to authorities to contain violence and revive the political process immediately.
"The Secretary-General believes that preventing further loss of life should be the Egyptians' highest priority at this dangerous moment," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement. "He urges those in the street and those in authority to use maximum restraint and shift immediately to de-escalation."
"With such sharp polarization in Egyptian society, both the authorities and the political leaders share the responsibility for ending the current violence," the statement read.
Ban further appealed to authorities and political leaders to "adopt a credible plan to contain the violence and revive the political process hijacked by violence."
Source: News Agencies, edited by website team
