Egypt Military Chief Warns of State Collapse as Thousands Defy Curfews
Egypt's military chief warned Tuesday the political crisis sweeping the country could lead to the collapse of the state, as thousands defied curfews and the death toll from days of rioting rose to 52.
"The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations," General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi said in a speech to students at a military academy.
Sissi, who is also defense minister, warned the political, economic, social and security problems constitute "a threat to the country's security and stability," according to his Facebook page.
He also vowed to defend vital infrastructure, including the Suez Canal, as medics reported another three people killed in the violence sweeping Egypt, pushing to at least 52 the death toll from five days of clashes.
The army is already deployed in the canal city of Port Said, where the worst of the bloodshed occurred in rioting triggered by death sentences passed on 21 supporters of a local football club over deadly soccer riots last year.
At the weekend, President Mohamed Morsi imposed a month-long state of emergency and curfews on the worst-hit provinces of Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez. On Monday, the Islamist-dominated Senate ratified a law granting the armed forces powers of arrest.
But thousands of demonstrators defiantly flooded the streets of the three Suez Canal cities on Monday night, witnesses said.
They chanted slogans against Islamist rule, "Fall, fall the rule of the guide", referring to the supreme head of the Muslim Brotherhood from which Morsi hails.
Analysts warned there was no quick fix for the crisis and that Morsi would have to make concessions to opposition liberal and leftist factions and protesters demonstrating against deteriorating living conditions.
"This crisis will not pass easily," said Mustafa Kamel El-Sayyed, professor of political sciences at Cairo University.
Sayyed said a new element had emerged on the scene: "A group of young anarchists (nicknamed as the Black Bloc) who are ready to engage in violence with the police."
But judicial sources said the prosecutor general had ordered the arrest of members of this shadowy militant group, who present themselves as defenders of protesters opposed to the president and his Islamist supporters.
"Inquiries have shown that the Black Bloc is an organized group which carries out terrorist actions," said the prosecutor general's spokesman Hassan Yassine.
In this dire context, Sissi recognized the army had a difficult task and did not want to confront citizens who have the right to protest, while insisting "protests must be peaceful."
Opposition groups and disgruntled Egyptians accuse Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists of monopolizing power and say the revolution failed to reach its goals of social justice.
The violence has gained momentum since Thursday, on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled veteran president Hosni Mubarak and exploded on Saturday in Port Said after the death sentences were announced.
Rioters attacked police stations and the prison where the defendants were being held, sparking clashes with security forces that left 42 people dead at the weekend.
Although the capital was calm on Tuesday, the political dimension of the conflict hung heavily over Egypt and the crisis looked set to deepen.
The National Salvation Front, a coalition of mainly liberal and leftist movements, called for countrywide protests on Friday after rejecting an offer from Morsi to hold talks.
"We will not participate in dialogue that is empty of content," leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei told reporters after a meeting of the NSF.
The bloc wants the formation of a national salvation government and the amendment of the Islamist-drafted constitution, before it agrees to any talks.
It called "on the Egyptian people to take to the streets in all Tahrir Squares (across the nation) on Friday to stress the sanctity of the blood of the martyrs and achieve the goals of the revolution."
The unrest highlights a deep split between Morsi's mainly Islamist allies, and an opposition of leftists, liberals, Christians and Muslims calling for freedoms and the separation of the state from religion.
Source: Agence France Presse
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