CAIRO: Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has announced its plans to hold a protest march on Thursday afternoon, following the recent deadly crackdown by the country’s security forces on protests.
“Marches are planned this afternoon from Al-Iman mosque to protest the deaths,” the Islamist group said in a statement.
At least 525 persons were killed and almost 3,000 sustained injuries as Egypt descends into chaos following Wednesday’s brutal crackdown by the security forces on massive sit-ins in support of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, the country’s Health Ministry said on Thursday.
The supporters of Mohamed Morsi had been rallying since July 3 demanding his reinstatement.
The ministry said that the majority of victims were killed by gunshots or suffocated in concentrated tear gas clouds.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday called on Egypt’s various political factions to act in their country’s national interests and prevent further escalation of violence in the country.
“We are convinced that the democratic renovation and thorough reform in the interest of all Egyptians is only possible through an encompassing dialogue, a renewal of a political process based on national reconciliation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
The ministry also warned Russian tourists visiting Egypt to refrain from visiting Cairo and other large cities.
On the other hand, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the UN Security Council to convene quickly and take action over the Egyptian crisis.
“Those who remain silent in the face of this massacre are as guilty as those who carried it out,” Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.
Moreover, joining an international chorus of condemnation of the violence in Egypt, France called on Egyptian Ambassador Nasser Ahmed Kamel to explain Wednesday’s security crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a statement, French President Hollande urged action “to avoid civil war” in Egypt.
