The Egyptian army has deployed tanks outside the presidential palace in Cairo and demanded that protesters leave following clashes between opponents and supporters of President Mohamed Morsi that have killed five people.
The army said in a statement that demonstrators must evacuate by 3:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) Thursday. The military has stationed at least five tanks and two other armored vehicles outside the presidential complex.
The president is expected to address the nation later Thursday. More than 350 people have been injured in the Egyptian capital during the two days of violence.
VOA correspondent Elizabeth Arrott went to the scene Thursday and said neither side is letting up.
“There is really no backing down. With this escalation of violence, people are very very nervous,” she said.
Tensions seemed higher Thursday, she said, due to the fatalities and injuries, and the fighting was constantly disrupting many people’s daily lives.
“It’s an upscale neighborhood, so a lot of people live there and they can’t avoid it. It was very very tense in the areas. They were throwing Molotov cocktails, petrol bombs and rocks and it was running street battles. They were going back and forth and of course these are where people live,” said Arrott.
The violence started Wednesday when Morsi’s Islamist supporters attacked opposition demonstrators angered by the president’s decree issued last month. The mandate granted Morsi sweeping powers that place him above review from the judiciary.
The clashes outside the presidential palace marked the first time that political rivals in deeply divided Egypt have battled each other since last year’s protests that ousted authoritarian former president Hosni Mubarak.
Protests spread to other Egyptian cities Wednesday, with offices of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood set on fire in Ismailia and Suez.
Opposition protesters want Morsi to abolish his decree, which they see as a power grab. They also oppose a draft constitution they say was drawn up by Islamists without input from secularists and liberals.
A referendum on the constitution is set for December 15.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
Source:
http://www.ezonearticle.com/2012/12/06/army-tanks-deployed-in-cairo/
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