Egyptian Troops, Protesters Clash For 3rd Day

Last updated on: December 18, 2011 at 8:58 am by

Egyptian Troops, Protesters Clash For 3rd Day 2011-12-18T08:58:37-07:00

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CAIRO (AP) — Troops and protesters clashed Sunday in Cairo for the third straight day, pelting each other with rocks in skirmishes near parliament in the heart of the Egyptian capital.

At least 10 protesters have been killed and 441 others wounded in the three days of violence, according to the Health Ministry. Activists say most of the 10 fatalities died of gunshot wounds.

The clashes began early Friday when one of several hundred peaceful protesters staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet offices near parliament was detained and beaten by troops. The protesters began their sit-in three weeks ago to demand that the nation’s ruling military, which took over after longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February, immediately step down and hand over power to a civilian administration.

Sunday’s renewed clashes were taking place as unofficial results from a second round of voting in parliamentary elections showed Islamist parties, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, continuing their dominance at the polls.

The third and final round of voting is slated for next month in nine of Egypt’s 27 provinces.

The military has used a heavy hand in a bid to crush the most recent spasm of violence, according to video footage broadcast on regional TV stations and posted on social network sites. Soldiers have dragged female protesters by the hair, stripping at least one of her clothes, and kicked and beaten with batons other protesters who have been knocked to the ground.

Though the latest flare up in violence involves a relatively small number of protesters, the clashes have added to the political tension in the country, with the pro-democracy activists behind the overthrow of Mubarak’s autocratic regime accusing the generals of mismanaging the transition period and large scale human rights abuses.

The Islamists have been staying clear of the recent violence, fearing that they could jeopardize their electoral gains by taking part in the protests. Their stance has prompted many activists to accuse them of political opportunism.

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