Egypt police prepare to clear Cairo protest camps
Security officials say police may move in on supporters of former president Mohammed Morsi as early as Monday morning
Supporters of Egypt's ousted president have dug in at their two Cairo sit-ins after security officials said police would besiege the entrenched protest camps within 24 hours – perhaps as early as Monday morning.
The latest development sets the stage for a possible confrontation between the military-backed government and the thousands gathered at the protest sites in support of Mohammed Morsi. The protesters have said they will not leave until Morsi, ousted in a coup on 3 July, is reinstated.
Weeks of efforts by the international community to end the standoff and find a peaceful resolution have so far failed. Egypt's interim prime minister warned ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which ended on Sunday, that the decision to clear the sit-ins was "irreversible".
Egypt's new leadership says the protests have frightened residents of Cairo, sparked deadly violence and disrupted traffic. Leaders of the sit-in say they have been peaceful and blame security forces and "thugs" for the violence. More than 250 people have been killed in Egypt since Morsi's ousting.
At the main Cairo sit-in, vendors said they have sold hundreds of gas masks, goggles and gloves to protesters readying for police tear gas. Three waist-high barriers of concrete and wood have been built to stop armoured vehicles.
Security officials said they would set up cordons around the protest sites to bar anyone from entering, and one of the officials said that could begin as soon as sunrise on Monday.
But by dawn on Monday there was no indication of any troop movement and the government has not confirmed when action would be taken against the sit-ins.
The interior ministry has said it would take gradual measures, issuing warnings in recent weeks and saying it would use water cannon and tear gas to minimise casualties.
Interior ministry officials said they were prepared for clashes that might be set off by the cordons. They said police were working with the health ministry to ensure ambulances were on hand for the wounded and that armoured police vans were nearby to take away those arrested.
A special force within the riot police trained for crowd dispersal is expected to deal with protesters. In the past, however, Egypt's riot police, many lacking the training to deal with unarmed civilians, have resorted to using lethal force.
Mass rallies two weeks ago called by Egypt's military leader, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, showed that a large segment of Egypt's population backs the armed forces' actions against Morsi's supporters.
Just before the holiday, the government said international efforts failed to reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Morsi's supporters, who include members of his Muslim Brotherhood group. A last-ditch effort was launched over the weekend by the Sunni Muslim world's pre-eminent religious institution, al-Azhar, to push for a resolution.
There are fears that violence from police trying to clear the two sites will spread to other areas of the capital and beyond, where thousands of Morsi supporters also hold near-daily marches.
The main protest camp in Cairo is between middle-class residential buildings and ground floor businesses. Its focal point is a mosque and an adjacent stage where Brotherhood leaders charged with inciting violence talk openly to journalists.
Among them is the former politician Mohammed el-Beltagy, who vowed over the weekend to continue protesting at the sit-ins. "We will happily sacrifice our souls, not for ourselves but to free the captured nation and to ensure freedom and dignity to our people and to the coming generations," he said.
Security officials suspect Brotherhood guards around the mosque in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square are well-armed. They also say there are armed protesters on rooftops ready to shoot.
The interior ministry has depicted the encampments as a public danger, saying 11 bodies bearing signs of torture were found near both sites.
Amnesty International has reported that anti-Morsi protesters have been captured, beaten, subjected to electric shocks or stabbed. At least eight bodies have arrived at a morgue in Cairo bearing signs of torture, the human rights group said.
Of the more than 250 people killed since Morsi's ousting, at least 130 were his supporters who died in two clashes with security forces last month
Security officials say police may move in on supporters of former president Mohammed Morsi as early as Monday morning
Supporters of Egypt's ousted president have dug in at their two Cairo sit-ins after security officials said police would besiege the entrenched protest camps within 24 hours – perhaps as early as Monday morning.
The latest development sets the stage for a possible confrontation between the military-backed government and the thousands gathered at the protest sites in support of Mohammed Morsi. The protesters have said they will not leave until Morsi, ousted in a coup on 3 July, is reinstated.
Weeks of efforts by the international community to end the standoff and find a peaceful resolution have so far failed. Egypt's interim prime minister warned ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which ended on Sunday, that the decision to clear the sit-ins was "irreversible".
Egypt's new leadership says the protests have frightened residents of Cairo, sparked deadly violence and disrupted traffic. Leaders of the sit-in say they have been peaceful and blame security forces and "thugs" for the violence. More than 250 people have been killed in Egypt since Morsi's ousting.
At the main Cairo sit-in, vendors said they have sold hundreds of gas masks, goggles and gloves to protesters readying for police tear gas. Three waist-high barriers of concrete and wood have been built to stop armoured vehicles.
Security officials said they would set up cordons around the protest sites to bar anyone from entering, and one of the officials said that could begin as soon as sunrise on Monday.
But by dawn on Monday there was no indication of any troop movement and the government has not confirmed when action would be taken against the sit-ins.
The interior ministry has said it would take gradual measures, issuing warnings in recent weeks and saying it would use water cannon and tear gas to minimise casualties.
Interior ministry officials said they were prepared for clashes that might be set off by the cordons. They said police were working with the health ministry to ensure ambulances were on hand for the wounded and that armoured police vans were nearby to take away those arrested.
A special force within the riot police trained for crowd dispersal is expected to deal with protesters. In the past, however, Egypt's riot police, many lacking the training to deal with unarmed civilians, have resorted to using lethal force.
Mass rallies two weeks ago called by Egypt's military leader, General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, showed that a large segment of Egypt's population backs the armed forces' actions against Morsi's supporters.
Just before the holiday, the government said international efforts failed to reach a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Morsi's supporters, who include members of his Muslim Brotherhood group. A last-ditch effort was launched over the weekend by the Sunni Muslim world's pre-eminent religious institution, al-Azhar, to push for a resolution.
There are fears that violence from police trying to clear the two sites will spread to other areas of the capital and beyond, where thousands of Morsi supporters also hold near-daily marches.
The main protest camp in Cairo is between middle-class residential buildings and ground floor businesses. Its focal point is a mosque and an adjacent stage where Brotherhood leaders charged with inciting violence talk openly to journalists.
Among them is the former politician Mohammed el-Beltagy, who vowed over the weekend to continue protesting at the sit-ins. "We will happily sacrifice our souls, not for ourselves but to free the captured nation and to ensure freedom and dignity to our people and to the coming generations," he said.
Security officials suspect Brotherhood guards around the mosque in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square are well-armed. They also say there are armed protesters on rooftops ready to shoot.
The interior ministry has depicted the encampments as a public danger, saying 11 bodies bearing signs of torture were found near both sites.
Amnesty International has reported that anti-Morsi protesters have been captured, beaten, subjected to electric shocks or stabbed. At least eight bodies have arrived at a morgue in Cairo bearing signs of torture, the human rights group said.
Of the more than 250 people killed since Morsi's ousting, at least 130 were his supporters who died in two clashes with security forces last month