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Egypt Army chief warns of 'collapse of state' as troops deployed to 'protect' Suez Canal

Published time: January 29, 2013 12:21
Edited time: January 29, 2013 16:59
An Egyptian protester waves his national flag as he gestures towards riot police during clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square on January 28, 2013 (AFP Photo / Mohammed Abed)

Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah Sissi has warned that the failure to resolve the political crisis currently gripping Egypt could ultimately lead to the “collapse of the state.”

­Sissi made the declaration on an official army Facebook page, and said that future generations could be endangered by the enduring conflict.

His comments were made as Egypt deployed military troops to cities on the Suez Canal, a major trading route connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Sissi said that his primary motivation behind the dispatching of troops is the protection of this key waterway, which allows ships to cross the waterways without having to traverse all the way around Africa.

“The army's deployment in Port Said and Suez provinces aims to protect the vital strategic interests of the state, at the forefront of which is the vital Suez Canal,” he said.

Egypt has seen 52 deaths in the past week alone as violent protests erupted in three major canal cities: Port Said, Ismailia and Suez. Islamist President Mohammed Morsi responded by declaring a state of emergency in the cities, and imposing a 9:00pm curfew for residents.

So far, this curfew has largely gone ignored. Shops and cafes remained open in the three Suez cities, and thousands protested, chanting anti-Morsi slogans throughout the night. Local media reported that 590 people were injured on Monday.

Following the declaration of the state of emergency, the Egyptian cabinet approved a law enabling President Morsi to deploy the army to “help police maintain security and protect vital state institutions.” The law instructs the army to operate as a police force, rather than a military force, and requires that detainees to be sent to civilian, not military, courts.

The army will remain a “solid and the cohesive block,” Sissi said, warning that the political, economic, social and security problems facing Egypt comprise “a threat to the country's security and stability.”

Comments (30)

The Beak (unregistered) 30.01.2013 18:28

Look guys Mursi is a American clone and cannot be trusted. Egypy need to get a free and fair election and the begin governing. The problem here is that the Army represents American power and it has now entrenched in the Egyptian economy. These guys have to return to Barracks where they belong and they should allow the Civilian Govt manage. This seems impossible at thsi time as even the Courts seems to be politically biased to US policy. The BRICS will not engage Egypt unless it has a pure democratic elected Civilian Govt. The other problem in waiting is that the Egyptian pound will be devalued so as to get the promised loan from IMF or WB. If the Political issue is sorted out the BRICS may lend without devaluation, China surely is ready, but will make the US see red and they do to Egypt what they did to Libya.

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Aimless (unregistered) 30.01.2013 08:50

A. Patriot (unregistered) wrote in #11

Egyp t's Morsi should reach out to the BRIC's nations for financial help and cut ALL ties to Apartheid Israel, IMF funds and USA. Kick out all Western NGO's from Egypt and repeal all Western attempts to collapse the Egyptian government thru their puppets and shills.


That would one of the best ideas they've head in years. They should do that when they chase away the MB scum. It's really something that the jew fcks want to put these fcks into power in Syria with all the other islamist sht they've found. The same fcks that have been hounded by the Arab nations not friendly with the jew fcks. Tells you something that after all the support from the jews these MB still can't hide who they are.


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A. Patriot (unregistered) 30.01.2013 07:36

The West was shocked and Apartheid Israel's satanically evil Zionists were outraged when Morsi was elected as Egypt's President replacing their Zio corrupted despot Mubark who did nothing for the Egyptian people living in utter poverty while lining his pockets with the few kickbacks he could obtain thru corrupt Apartheid Israeli Gas contracts.

Si nce then, Israeli/USA NGO's pretending to be helpful organisations inside Egypt have been recruiting violent thugs and bribing officials with huge bags of free USA taxpayer revenues to lash out, bomb, burn and coordinate attacks and revolution designed to destroy Egyptian President Morsi presumably to place another ZOG despot puppet in Egypt's Presidential office to continue their torture and enslavement of the Egyptian people.

Egypt 's Morsi should reach out to the BRIC's nations for financial help and cut ALL ties to Apartheid Israel, IMF funds and USA. Kick out all Western NGO's from Egypt and repeal all Western attempts to collapse the Egyptian government thru their puppets and shills.

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