278 Protesters, 2 Journalists Killed In Egypt Crackdown

The pro-Morsi protest in Egypt yesterday took another turn, as about 278 people were killed when the security forces stormed two huge protest camps occupied by the supporters of the ousted president, Mohammed Morsi.

This has prompted the government to impose an emergency to quell the raging violence. According to the Egyptian state television, the state of emergency will be in force from 4pm (7.30pm IST). 

There are conflicting reports over the number of people killed but, according to al-Jazeera, at least 278 people had so far been killed.

The interior ministry issued a statement earlier saying security forces were taking “necessary measures” against the protesters who want Morsi reinstated, at the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the east of Cairo and the protest in Nahda Square.

Conflicting reports emerged over the number of people killed today. At least 278 people have been killed in clashes around the country, Al Jazeera quoted the health ministry as saying.

Security forces earlier said 95 people had been killed and 758 injured. However, Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood claimed the death toll was as high as 2,200, with about 10,000 injured.

The Interior Ministry said 543 pro-Morsi supporters were arrested nationwide in incidents related to dispersing the Rabaa al-Adawiya sit-in in Nasr City and the Nahda Square sit-in in Giza.

Live footage from Cairo yesterday morning showed smoke engulfing Nahda Square, which was later completely cleared, and there were reports of tear gas and birdshot being used on supporters of Morsi.

Police took full control of the Rabaa al-Adawiya camp, the state news agency reported. Bulldozers were said to have been used to uproot the camps that had been in place after 62-year-old Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3.

In a press conference, the cabinet media adviser thanked the security forces for “exercising self-control and high-level professionalism in dispersing the sit-ins,” and held the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for “escalation and violence”.

Witnesses said that after firing tear gas into the Rabaa al-Adawiyeh sit-in, pandemonium broke out among the thousands of protesters. Two journalists were also killed while covering the violence today. Mick Deane, a cameraman for the UK-based Sky News channel, and Habiba AbdElaziz, a reporter for the UAE-based Xpress newspaper, died from gunshot wounds.

Protesters have camped in Cairo demanding the reinstatement of Morsi, who was the country’s first democratically elected president, and his Freedom and Justice Party was the largest political group in the now dissolved parliament.

The United States has condemned a bloody government crackdown on protesters in Egypt and Turkey and has urged the United Nations Security Council and Arab League to act quickly to stop a “massacre”.

Iran warned of the risk of civil war after Egyptian security forces moved in on protesters seeking the reinstatement of toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Also, Egypt’s interim vice president, Mohamed ElBaradei, has resigned a day after the security forces violently broke up protest camps set up by supporters of the deposed president, Morsi.

In a resignation letter to interim president Adly Mansour, ElBaradei said that “the beneficiaries of what happened today are those who call for violence, terrorism and the most extreme groups”.

“As you know, I saw that there were peaceful ways to end this clash in society, there were proposed and acceptable solutions for beginnings that would take us to national consensus,” he wrote. “It has become difficult for me to continue bearing responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear. I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood.”