Supporters of Egypt’s ousted president Mohamed Morsi have pledged to continue their protests, despite warnings from the interior minister that authorities are preparing to break up the Cairo sit-ins that demonstrators have held for weeks.
 
Thousands of pro-Morsi loyalists stood their ground Sunday at the city’s two main vigils - one outside the Rabaa el-Adawiya mosque and another near Cairo University - a day after clashes with security forces killed at least 74 people and injured nearly 800.
 
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said he hoped the sit-ins would be dispersed “in a way that doesn’t cause many losses” but that “God willing, they must end.”
 
Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement said police and unidentified armed men opened fire when protesters demanding his reinstatement sought to expand their sit-in camp by moving onto a nearby main avenue outside the mosque.
 
Egyptian officials deny the accusations, saying police only fired tear gas and that pro-Morsi marchers were responsible for the violence.
 
Saturday’s violence followed huge rival rallies when millions took to the streets in a show of support for General Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the military chief who ousted Morsi.
 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday called on Egypt’s leaders to “respect the right of peaceful assembly and free speech,” warning that violence is a setback for reconciliation and democracy.
 
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by telephone with General Sissi, urging him to exercise restraint and “take steps to prevent further bloodshed and loss of life.”
 
Morsi has been held in secret military detention since July 3.
 
Interior Minister Ibrahim said he be would shortly transferred to Cairo’s Tora Prison, joining deposed president Hosni Mubarak, members of his former regime and other jailed Brotherhood leaders.

Images from Cairo Saturday: [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict