CAIRO (Reuters) – Twenty-nine people were killed during anti-government marches yesterday while thousands rallied in support of the army-led authorities, underlining Egypt’s volatile political fissures three years after the fall of autocrat President Hosni Mubarak.
Security forces lobbed teargas and some fired automatic weapons in the air to try to prevent demonstrators opposed to the government reaching Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the 2011 uprising that toppled the former air force commander.
As police tried to calm Cairo’s politically-charged streets, a car bomb exploded near a police camp in the Egyptian city of Suez, security sources said.
The blast, which was followed by a fierce exchange of gunfire, suggested the authorities could be locked in a long-term battle with Islamist insurgents who are gaining momentum.
But the growing violence has not dented the popularity of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose ouster of Islamist Mohamed Mursi, Egypt’s first freely-elected president, plunged the country into turmoil.
Instead of commemorating Mubarak’s overthrow, tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered in Tahrir to pledge their support for Sisi in an event stage-managed by the state.
An army marching band played, while vendors sold t-shirts with the general’s image for five Egyptian pounds ($0.72).
Huge banners and posters displayed Sisi in his trademark dark sunglasses at Saturday’s rally. Some women kissed posters.
The core demands of the 2011 revolt – freedom and social justice – could only be heard in protests outside Tahrir, which were quickly muzzled by security forces.
The Sisi mania underscored the prevailing desire for a decisive military man Egyptians can count on to stabilise Egypt.
But an end to street violence seemed nowhere in sight. State television quoted a health ministry official as saying 29 people were killed in clashes during protests in Cairo and elsewhere.
