Unrest continues in central Cairo

23 November 2011 Last updated at 22:02 ET

Tear gas and the wail of ambulance sirens are a constant presence in Tahrir Square

Unrest is continuing in Cairo as protesters step up their demand for Egypt's military rulers to resign.

Street battles with riot police have been heaviest around the fortified interior ministry located on a side street off Tahrir Square.

Gunfire was reported late on Wednesday but the interior minister said security forces were only firing tear gas.

The protesters have rejected a pledge by the ruling military council to speed up transition to a civilian government.

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen in Cairo says the violence threatens to overshadow next week's parliamentary elections.

He says public opinion on the protests is divided. Some Egyptians want elections to go ahead unhindered while others believe the military must be swept from power first.

The clashes, now entering their sixth day, are the longest outbreak of violence since the 18-day uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Since then a military council has been tasked with guiding the country's transition to democracy. The latest protests have been triggered by suspicions that the military intends to hang on to power.

On Tuesday Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, sought to defuse the situation by promising presidential elections by the end of June, six months sooner than planned. The military-appointed civilian cabinet also tendered its resignation.

"They [the military] were with Mubarak from the start," said Fatihia Abdul Ezz, 60, who had come to the square to protest.

"I came when I saw our sons being killed."

Steel buckshot

Groups of stone-throwing demonstrators have been locked in pitched battles in the streets between Tahrir Square and the interior ministry for several days.

Riot police blocking streets leading to the ministry have driven back the protesters with volleys of tear gas and rubber-covered steel buckshot.

Protesters have spoken of gunshots and injuries or deaths from live bullets but Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy said security forces were only firing tear gas.

On state TV he said unidentified people were shooting from rooftops near Tahrir Square, Reuters news agency said.

At one point on Wednesday a truce was apparently brokered by religious leaders, but soon broke down and the clashes continued into the night.

There were also clashes in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, and in Ismailia, on the Suez Canal.

Television pictures from Ismailia showed armoured vehicles patrolling streets as security forces tried to disperse protesters with volleys of tear gas.

In Alexandria protests have been smaller than in Cairo, but one protester said clashes were continuing early on Thursday outside the security headquarters.

One protester, Mahinour, told the BBC the number of injured people there was increasing.

"Most of them are suffocating because of gas. This time they are not using tear gas, it's more nerve gas than tear gas. And as well there are some people injured by rubber bullets," she said.

Despite the clashes, the BBC's Wyre Davies in Alexandria says the appetite for conflict is lessening and people want their country to move on.

'Excessive force'

The main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is not supporting the protests and expects to do well in the parliamentary elections which start next week and will be staggered over several months.

Earlier on Wednesday, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay condemned the "clearly excessive use of force" by Egypt's security forces during the clashes.

She called for an independent inquiry into deaths since the weekend.

The health ministry said on Wednesday that 35 people had died in clashes since Saturday - all but four in Cairo. Hundreds more have been injured.

State news agency Mena reported that one person had been shot dead in the north-western city of Mersa Matruh as demonstrators tried to storm a police station.

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Death toll rises in Cairo clashes

20 November 2011 Last updated at 19:25 ET

The BBC's Helena Merriman says police were beating protesters - "about 20 or 30 of them I saw, covered in blood"

Thousands of Egyptian protesters remain in Cairo's Tahrir Square after two days of clashes in which at least 13 people were killed and hundreds injured.

On Sunday, police and troops made a violent attempt to evict the demonstrators, firing tear gas and beating them with truncheons.

However, the protesters returned less than an hour later, chanting slogans against Egypt's military rulers.

The European Union said it condemned the violence "in the strongest terms".

There were also clashes in other cities including Alexandria, Suez and Aswan.

A total of 11 people were reportedly killed on Sunday and two on Saturday, according to medical sources. Health officials say as many as 900 have been injured, including at least 40 security personnel.

The demonstrators, some wearing gas masks, say they fear Egypt's interim military rulers are trying to retain their grip on power.

The violence comes a week before the country's first parliamentary elections since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

Armoured vehicles

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on the Egyptian authorities to cease violence against the protesters.

"I urge calm and restraint and condemn the use of violence in the strongest terms. There is no doubt that the transitional process is a difficult and challenging one," she said.

"I reiterate that the interim authorities and all parties concerned have the crucial task of listening to the people and protecting their democratic aspirations."

A second day of violence began on Sunday when stone-throwing protesters advanced from the square - focal point of February's uprising - towards the interior ministry.

Officers fired volleys of tear gas and drove the protesters back, before blocking the street leading to the ministry.

Armoured personnel carriers brought in reinforcements as the security forces tried to gain the upper hand.

Scores of soldiers and police poured into the square, beating protesters and dismantling a protest camp there.

But within an hour, protesters swarmed back into the square, usually one of Cairo's busiest traffic thoroughfares.

The BBC's Helena Merriman at the scene says the atmosphere is tense, with moments of calm punctuated by outbreaks of panic and running.

The edges of the square are thinning out but the road to the ministry of interior is full of protesters, she says.

In recent weeks protesters - mostly Islamists and young activists - have been holding demonstrations against a draft constitution that they say would allow the military to retain too much power after a new civilian government is elected.

They have repeatedly tried to gain a foothold in Tahrir Square again, but until this weekend they had always been removed quickly by the police.

"The violence [on Saturday] showed us that Mubarak is still in power," one protester, Ahmed Hani, told the Associated Press news agency.

Protester Magdy Mohamed Ali: "If they think that the army personnel can bring us down then they are in for surprise"

He said the leader of Egypt's military government, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, should resign.

"We have a single demand: the marshal must step down and be replaced by a civilian council," he said.

The latest violence is some of the worst in months between the Egyptian authorities and demonstrators.

Parliamentary elections are due to begin on 28 November and take three months.

Earlier in November, Egypt's military rulers produced a draft document setting out principles for a new constitution.

Under those guidelines, the military would be exempted from civilian oversight, as would its budget.

This has angered protesters who fear the gains they have made during the uprising could yet slip away as the military tries to retain some grip on power.

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Deadly clashes rock central Cairo

19 November 2011 Last updated at 19:08 ET

The BBC's Yolande Knell said protesters were angry about the power held by the military

At least one person has been killed and more than 600 wounded in fierce clashes between protesters and security forces in central Cairo.

The clashes came as police moved to prevent a long-term sit-in following a huge demonstration against the military leadership on Friday.

Some protesters lobbed rocks and a police vehicle was set on fire.

The latest violence comes just over a week before parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin.

Protesters - mostly Islamists and young activists - have been holding demonstrations against a draft constitution that they say would allow the military to retain too much power after a new civilian government is elected.

Witnesses said there were also demonstrations in Suez and Alexandria.

Rubber bullets

Correspondents say many Egyptians are frustrated at what they see as a reluctance by the ruling military council - who took power after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February - to carry out meaningful reforms.

The clashes began as police moved into the square to break up a sit-in

Saturday's violence began when police moved to dismantle tents erected by demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square who had camped out for the night.

The move to clear the square prompted thousands of protesters to return, and clashes erupted. Police fired rubber bullets as cars were set on fire, witnesses said.

The numbers of protesters swelled, reportedly after a call went out on social media for people to join the demonstration following the police assault.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called on the protesters to clear the square.

"What is happening in Tahrir is very dangerous and threatens the course of the nation and the revolution," a statement from the cabinet said.

Black smoke rose over the square after protesters swarmed over an armoured police van, turned it over and set it alight, reports said.

The state-run Mena news agency says more than 670 people were injured.

One of those wounded later died in hospital, the agency adds.

AFP quoted a security official as saying a number of arrests were made.

'Harsh beatings'

One of the demonstrators, Ali Abdel Aziz, said security forces beat up protesters to break up the sit-in on Saturday.

"They beat us harshly, they didn't care for either men or women," the 32-year-old accountancy professor told AFP news agency.

"The interior ministry must take responsibility. We have one demand, the military council must go," he said.

One prominent protester, Malek Mostafa, lost an eye after being hit by a rubber bullet, said Ghada Shahbender, a member of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.

"It is a crime," she told AP news agency. "They [police] were shooting rubber bullets directly at the heads... I heard an officer ordering his soldiers to aim for the head."

The interior ministry says a number of policemen were among the wounded.

In Alexandria, protester Ahmed Abdel-Qader told the Associated Press activists had thrown stones at the main security headquarters.

"We only managed to bring down the head of the regime [Hosni Mubarak]. The rest of the tree is still standing," he said.

Friday's demonstration, which saw tens of thousands fill Tahrir Square, was one of the largest for months.

Parliamentary elections are due to begin on 28 November and take three months.

Earlier this month, Egypt's military rulers produced a draft document setting out principles for a new constitution.

Under those guidelines, the military would be exempted from civilian overnight, as would its budget.

Are you in Cairo? Did you witness the clashes? Send us your comments using the form below.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Continue Reading... Labels: Cairo, central, clashes, Deadly