Thousands of Egyptians supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi have gathered in Cairo, praying and celebrating Eid al-Fitr at protest camps despite government warnings to vacate the sites.
Morsi opponents also gathered Thursday in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, a day after interim President Adly Mansour said efforts by international envoys to bridge Egypt’s political divide had failed.
Mansour blamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood for the failure.
Fragile Situation
The United States and European Union voiced their concerns, saying the political divide has created a fragile situation that could spark more bloodshed and impede Egypt’s economic recovery.
In a joint statement late Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the two sides must break a “dangerous stalemate” and implement “tangible confidence building measures.”
The diplomats said Egypt’s government bears a special responsibility to begin a reconciliation process.
Muslim Brotherhood Members Detained
Egypt’s interim authorities have detained top members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Morsi, since ousting him from power on July 3.
The army has installed an interim government, while the Muslim Brotherhood insists the Islamist leader be reinstated.
Morsi took office one year earlier as Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, but critics accused him of monopolizing power in the hands of the Brotherhood and threatening their secular lifestyle.
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Filed under: Action for Freedom, Activism, Freedom, Government Coup, News, Politics, Protest Tagged: Activism, Cairo, Catherine Ashton, Egypt, European Union, John Kerry, Mohamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood, politics, Protest, protest camps, Tahrir Square