Eight days of peaceful demonstrations against the 30-year reign of Egypt’s President, Hosni Mubarak, turned violent yesterday as the president’s supporters engaged the protesters in a free for all. The Tahrir (Freedom) Square in Cairo which has been the central point of the demonstrations became a battlefield with rocks, sticks and even chairs used as missiles by opposing sides. Reports say at least one person was killed and over 400 people injured in the ensuing melee which threatened to turn Egypt into an anarchical state.
The violence began when Mr Mubarak’s supporters began to converge on the square from different directions, shouting slogans in support of the president and against the demand by thousands of protesters who have daily gathered there to demand the president’s resignation. “We are Egyptians too, and we want Mubarak, we like Mubarak,” said a member of the pro-Mubarak group. One of the placards they carried noted, “30 years of stability, nine days of anarchy.”
The protests continued into the night, in defiance of the curfew instituted by the government and sporadic shooting were heard near the square although it was not immediately clear who was doing the shooting. The Army released a statement saying it was not responsible for the gun shots. UN secretary General Ban ki-Moon also urged restraint saying, “Any attack on peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I strictly condemn it.”
As night descended on the city, the violence seemed to wane and ambulances were finally seen inside the square trying to evacuate the injured. Although the different groups of protesters had by then stopped fighting, the square was hardly deserted as people continue to troop in even as security men turned their water hoses on the crowd. The streets of Cairo were also said to be manned by civilians who erected roadblocks, checking people’s identity cards before letting them past. Reports say a general feeling of insecurity pervaded the nation which has been for decades one of the most stable Arab nations.
Where’s the Army?
The pro- Mubarak supporters who invaded the square turned the protest against the president, inspired by recent events in Tunisia, into a fight between anti-government forces and pro Mubarak groups. The Army announced earlier that the protesters need to clear away from the square following the well publicised speech by President Mubarak the previous day. Mr Mubarak who assured Egyptians that he will relinquish power by September, noted that, “Those protests were transformed from a noble and civilised phenomenon of practising freedom of expression to unfortunate clashes, mobilised and controlled by political forces that wanted to escalate and worsen the situation.”
The Army said in a statement that since the demands of the protesters have been met, the people should vacate the square but thousands of people remained, as they have done for more than one week. In allowing the pro MubaraK group to enter the square, some on horse back and camels, analysts say, the impression was created that the Military, which has shown commendable restrain since the protests began, are now showing tacit support for the government of Mr Mubarak. People were seen on roof tops pelting those in the square with stones, and sometimes it was difficult to know which group was retreating and which advancing. Identity cards reportedly taken from the pro-Mubarak group allegedly belonged to policemen dressed in civilian clothes. Protesters accused the president of sending in thugs to disrupt the protests.
Kamel El-Helbawy, a Uk-based Muslim brotherhood cleric shares this opinion. “Mubarak is sending to the streets his gangs of thieves and criminals, who have been newly released from prison and armed with knives, clubs and pistols, to scare the people...Mubarak is writing the worst chapter of Egyptian history,” he told Reuters.
As the violence raged and more and more people got injured, the army refused to intervene in the fracas, prefering to stand aside and watch. “We have received no instruction to intervene,” said one of the soldiers at the square. However, military planes continue to circle the area throughout, while a couple of military vehicles driven into the square created a barrier between the pro and anti Mubarak group. A military spokesman, addressing the protesters on state television earlier yesterday, said: “The armed forces are calling on you. You began by going out to express your demands and you are the ones capable of restoring normal life.”
Pressure mounts
The daily protests at the Tahrir square has eroded the powers of Mr Mubarak whose regime had for three decades appeared unassailable. Every day calls on Mr Mubarak to step down increase and staunch allies like United States and Britain who have seen Egypt as a bulwark against extremists have also called on him to resign. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron said it is imperative that Egypt’s transition be “rapid and credible and needs to start now.” This is similar to the message from US President Barak Obama who spoke with Mr Mubarak two days ago. “What is clear and what I indicated to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now,” Mr Obama said after the discussion. Pressure also came from Turkey, whose Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan said Mubarak’s plan to step down in September failed to meet the people’s expectations and the change should begin sooner. Other leaders in Europe and elsewhere have also lent their voices to the call for Mr Mubarak to quit office.
Meanwhile, Israel, which has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the government of Mr Mubarak are anxious. “We are concerned. We are watching this very anxiously,” says Dan Gillerman, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. “This is a very, very tough neighbourhood.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com