Saturday 18 January 2014

Egypt: Four Killed As Protests Accompany Constitutional Referendum


by Benson Agoha

* Egypt's Interior Minister: Mohamed Ibrahim.

Four people were killed on Friday across Egypt as protesters take to the streets against the Constitutional referendum.

The deaths occured in Cairo, where three people died, and the govenourate of Fayoum, where one person was killed.

There also injuries as a total of 15 people were wounded in Egypt's governorates of Cairo, Giza, Fayoum, and Minya, Ahram, Egypt's biggests Newspaper reported.

Report say 6 pro-Muslim Brotherhood protesters have been killed in their attempt to retain their support for austed President, Mohammed Morsi, removed from power by the military in the wake of renewed mass protests, after just one year in office.

A total of 133 were arrested for violence against the Referendum whose approval will herald a new beginning for the Egyptian transition, as Presidential election can then be held to elect a new leader.

Students from Al-Azhar University and Cairo University protested, blocking traffic and demanding release of their colleagues still in detention for previous protests.

The constitutional referendum is seen by Egypt's authorities as the key step in the post-Morsi roadmap and define the country's history.

But the pro-Morsi supporters are not letting up, insisting the referendum be disregarded and the former president reinstated.

Ahram reports that the pro-Morsi protesters also organised rallies in several other districts of Greater Cairo, including Imbaba, Mohandiseen, Nahya, and Al-Haram, rejecting the results of this week’s constitutional referendum and demanding the reinstatement of Morsi and the 2012 constitution.

The paper said one rally in El-Hawamdeyya, Giza, was attacked by local residents with fireworks as clashes were also reported between pro-Morsi protesters and security forces or local residents in Alexandria, Beheira, and Suez on Friday afternoon. In Alexandria at least 14 pro-Morsi protesters were arrested, while in Ismailia at least 3 protesters were injured.

On Thursday, a government official urged supporters of the Constitutional Referendum to to take to the streets on January 25, to counter any planned protests by the pro-Morsi supporters for that day.

According to the Egyptian Independent, Mohamed Ibrahim, Egypt's Interior Minister, has called on people to take down to streets on 25 January "to celebrate the anniversary of 25 January revolution and to confront the Muslim Brotherhood plans for a counter-revolution.."

The final results of the Referendum is expected in the next few days.

* Twitter: @bensonagoha.

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