Cairo: Egypt’s military rulers on Thursday apologised for deaths of protesters demanding civilian control and vowed to punish the culprits, amid a temporary ceasefire following fierce street battles that claimed at least 39 lives and left over 3,000 people injured in six days of unrest.
“The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) presents its regrets and deep apologies for the deaths of martyrs from among Egypt’s loyal sons during the recent events in Tahrir Square,” the military rulers said in a statement on their Facebook page.
“The Council also offers its condolences to the families of the martyrs across Egypt.”
SCAF also promised a swift investigation into the violence that killed 39 people and left more than 3,000 wounded in six days and prosecution of those responsible.
Overnight a truce, negotiated by Muslim clerics between protesters and police, halted violence, on the edge of the iconic Tahrir Square, the epicentre of public dissent. But, thousands of protesters were still there and there was little scope that the latest apology by military would pacify them.
The unrest, which began on Saturday, came days before the country’s first parliamentary elections, scheduled to open on Monday, since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February following a popular uprising.
Protesters in several cities across Egypt have been demanding that the military rulers hand over power to civilians immediately. They have rejected a pledge to speed up transition to civilian rule and vowed to continue their protest until the military rulers step down.
The protests spread to other cities from Cairo. In Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city, clashes erupted last night along a street near the main security directorate.
Riot police in Alexandria fired tear gas after the withdrawal of the army, which was deployed to oversee a prisoner release.
Besides Alexandria, clashes were reported from the city of Ismaili.
Despite the truce, there were reports that police from the Interior Ministry’s Central Security Forces fired an unprovoked barrage of tear gas at a large crowd gathered on Mohamed Mahmoud Street here. (PTI)
