The US and the United Nations have condemned the violence that has erupted in Egypt following the ouster of Mohammed Morsy, and asked Egyptians to resolve their differences peacefully.
“We condemn the violence that has taken place today in Egypt. We call on all Egyptian leaders to condemn the use of force and to prevent further violence among their supporters,” the U.S State Department spokesperson, Jen Psaki, said.
At least 17 people died in violence as supporters of the deposed Egyptian President, clashed across the country with those celebrating his ouster.
Hundreds were said to be have been injured.
“As President Obama said, we expect the military to ensure that the rights of all Egyptians are protected, including the right to peaceful assembly, and we call on all who are protesting to do so peacefully,” she said.
The voices of all who are protesting peacefully must be heard — including those who welcomed the events of earlier this week and those who supported President Morsy.
The Egyptian people must come together to resolve their differences peacefully, without recourse to violence or the use of force,” Psaki said.
According to The New York Times, witnesses said they saw at least five pro-Morsy demonstrators killed and many more wounded in gunfire outside the Republican Guard compound where Morsy was believed to be detained, as thousands confronted a phalanx of armed soldiers, armoured vehicles and barbed wire ringing the facility.
“The violence added to concerns of an escalation between Morsy’s mostly Islamist supporters and their decades-old nemesis, Egypt’s powerful security forces, two days after the military forced Morsy from office,” The Washington Post reported.
The Secretary-General called on the Egyptian security forces to protect demonstrators and prevent violent clashes.
He also calls on the people of Egypt to exercise their right to demonstrate exclusively by peaceful means, his spokesperson said.
Noting that Ban believes strongly that this is a critical juncture in which it is imperative for Egyptians to work together to chart a peaceful return to civilian control, constitutional order, and democratic governance, the statement said Egypt’s political leaders have a responsibility to signal, by their words and their actions, their commitment to a peaceful and democratic dialogue which includes all of Egypt’s constituencies, including women.
“The way forward should be determined by the people of Egypt themselves, in a manner that respects the full diversity of Egyptian political views,” the spokesperson said.
