The Jerusalem Post- Egyptian security forces shot dead dozens of supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on Saturday, witnesses said, days after the army chief called for a popular mandate to wipe out “violence and terrorism”.
Men in helmets and black police fatigues fired on crowds gathered before dawn on the fringes of a round-the-clock sit-in near a mosque in northeast Cairo, Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood said.
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The BBC is reporting today that General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in comments posted on the military’s Facebook page, said such a collapse could “threaten future generations.”
He made his statement following a large military deployment in three cities along the Suez Canal where a state of emergency has been declared.
More than 50 people have died in days of protests and violence.
Overnight, thousands of people in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez – where some of the worst unrest has been – ignored a night-time curfew imposed by President Mohammed Morsi to take to the streets.
Amidst current unrest in Egypt, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), yesterday called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to halt the planned delivery of 20 F-16 fighter jets to Egypt.
Senator Inhofe (R-Okla.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), noted that due to a FY’10 foreign aid appropriations bill concluded during the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, the United States is scheduled to deliver the first four F-16s to Egypt by Jan. 22, 2013.
“In light of President Morsi’s dictatorial decree and absence of promoting promised democracy, the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets must be delayed,” said Inhofe. “The Obama Administration should not be putting top-of-the-line aircraft in the hands of a government that is perpetuating instability in its region and showing aggression towards our ally, Israel. While this agreement for the F-16s was forged two years ago, Egypt’s leadership has since changed hands, leaving open the question as to how this equipment might be used. Until Egypt is able to establish a democratic parliament and ensure stability for its people, I have asked Sec. Clinton to postpone all deliveries of F-16s for further review.”