Egypt on watch for possible chaos as nationwide protests planned

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-7-19 14:40:12

The Egyptian armed forces and Interim President Adli Mansour on Thursday vowed to crack down on any act of violence on the eve of nationwide protests called by Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist allies.

Brotherhood without Violence, a movement formed by the reformist youth Brotherhood members, described the planned Friday protests on its Facebook page as "a battle" to back ousted President Mohamed Morsi, calling on the Brotherhood members to sacrifice their souls for Islam and for an end to the "military rule in Egypt."

Signed by the Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei, the Facebook post also urged members to storm government institutions and occupy them, block main roads as well as railways, and cut telephone and electricity lines.

Meanwhile, Tamarud, the movement who helped launch the anti-Morsi protests, also called for rallies on Friday, blaming Morsi supporters for recent violence. One of the Tamarud-organized protests will be close to a Cairo intersection where Brotherhood followers have been holding a vigil for weeks.

Colonel Ahmed Mohamed Ali, military spokesman of the armed forces, warned that any attempt to resort to violence or to disturb public order will not be tolerated.

"Whoever resort to violence and deviate from peacefulness during tomorrow's demonstration will risk his own life," the spokesman said in a statement.

He also reiterated the army's commitment to protecting all peaceful protesters across the nation in coordination with the Interior Ministry.

Meanwhile, Egyptian interim President Mansour also vowed to battle violence, saying that Egypt is going through "a decisive state."

"We will go through the battle for security till the end," said Mansour.

He noted that the transitional government is committed to achieving security and stability, saying that "those who want the course of bloodshed are pushing the nation toward an abyss under fake slogans."

Also on Thursday, Egyptian activist group April 6 Youth Movement said it is against the alienation of Muslim Brotherhood, urging the Islamic movement to find a new way to rejoin the community and compete in politics in the future.

"In order to heal the wounds quickly and bridge the gap between Morsi's Islamist supporters and Egyptians in general, they should respond to the demands of the people, accept the popular will, deal with the new regime and find a new way to engage in the political life without violence," said Ahmed Maher, head of April 6 Youth Movement, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Talking about the military, Maher said the military only interfered to protect the protesters based on the latter's demand; and the roadmap, from appointing an interim president to suspending the constitution, is set by the voters, not the military.

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