Welcome to Middle East Live. Last night, Cairo erupted ino the worst violence since the 18-day uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak as president of Egypt in February.
Egypt
Egyptian troops are among the dead following the violence, which comes after several outbreaks of sectarian tensions this year
Talaat Youssef, a 23-year-old Christian trader, said:
We were marching peacefully. When we got to the state television building, the army started firing live ammunition.
Another protester, Essam Khalili, said:
Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people.
Online, Egyptians queued up to blame the ruling military council for fomenting the violence, accusing army generals of using social instability as an excuse for cracking down on freedom of expression. "Let there be no doubt, today's killings are committed by #SCAF [the ruling military council]. They are the killers," wrote one Twitter user.
State television put the number injured in the violence at 150, saying three of those killed were soldiers.
More than four vehicles were set on fire and TV footage showed protesters breaking windows of parked cars and army personnel carriers driving towards crowds.
Human rights activist Hossam Bahgat said.
What happened today is unprecedented. Seventeen corpses were crushed by military trucks.
• The attacks are further evidence that Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), currently running the country, supposedly on an interim basis, is "doing everything in its power to stifle and frustrate meaningful change", Jack Shenker writes.
The ruling generals will do their utmost to paint the latest tragedies as the product of sectarian hatred and shadowy mischief-makers , and will waste no time in trotting out platitudes about national unity and strength in the face of adversity.
But it is between the generals and those on the street where the division really lies. There, amid the tear gas canisters, rubble and spent ammunition cartridges, the chants ringing out are: "Christians and Muslims on one hand" and: "The people want the downfall of the Field Marshal" – the latter a reference to Egypt's current de facto leader, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, couched in the language a nation used to articulate its rejection of Mubarak ...
Although it is the Salafist mobs reportedly trying to break down hospital doors to get at wounded Christian demonstrators that present the most obvious figures of blame, it is Egypt's broader political elite, and particularly its increasingly brazen junta, that shoulder the biggest responsibility for Sunday's events.
The clash for legitimacy – between those who understand the language of revolution and those who merely exploit it in the service of frustrating change – goes on, with a fresh set of victims that have died in its name.
Libya
• The battle for Sirte has reached the heart of Muammar Gaddafi's stronghold, with revolutionary fighters taking Ouagadougou conference centre where troops loyal to the ousted dictator had held out for weeks. Peter Beaumont writes:
The marble halls rang with the sound of automatic weapons fire, exploding RPGs and mortars landing close by. The electric golf carts once used to ferry delegates across the campus – and a silver Mercedes abandoned by retreating loyalists – were now being driven by fighters from Misrata and Benghazi.
The battle for Sirte, so long in the unfolding, has been brought to the very heart of Gaddafi's home town. By Sunday evening government forces were close to the city's main square but paused in their assault to allow civilians to escape. And while the conference centre appeared secure in the hands of government forces, a huge plume of smoke rose as fighting raged into the night in the east of the city and around the Ibn Sana hospital just beyond the complex.
• Portable anti-aircraft missiles may have already been smuggled outside Libya's borders even as the United States races to help account for thousands of the weapons stockpiled by the Gaddafi regime, US officials have told USA Today.
Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said:
We have reports that they may have in fact crossed borders
Syria
• Syria has warned countries not to recognise the new opposition group, the Syrian National Council, and threatened to take "strict measures" against any that did, the New York Times reports. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said:
I am not interested in what they are trying to achieve. And we will adopt strict measures against any country that will recognize the illegitimate
council.
Dozens of "instigators of chaos" have been arrested after the clashes in Cairo, according to Egypt's official news agency (via AP).
The MENA news agency did not say whether those arrested were Christians or Muslims.
Egypt's state television said authorities have stepped up security at vital installations in anticipation of renewed unrest, deploying additional troops outside parliament and the cabinet.
An Egyptian youth hurls stones at security forces during clashes following a protest near the television building also known as Maspero, in Cairo, Egypt 09 October 2011. Photograph: Abdelhamid Eid/EPA
Here is a link to a gallery showing pictures of the distressing scenes in Cairo last night, including the image above.
Videos have also been posted on YouTube of armoured personnel carriers ploughing through the crowds.
Human rights activist Hossam Bahgat said 17 corpses were crushed by military trucks.
The video above was taken from TV coverage (thanks to BrownMoses in the comments section for the link).
The horror of the violence in Cairo was captured on Twitter by people watching the events unfold before them. Here is a sample of Tweets, in no particular order:
Sheer and utter chaos in downtown Cairo.. Crew attacked, tapes smashed, ppl running in every direction #Egypt #Copts
I got smacked with a baton on my back and then chased down the road. just jumped in a moving cab
Im standing on october bridge i saw about 15 people get run over
Just saw a group of half naked "civilians" beat and drag an old protester then hand him to the army.
People keep getting carried out from #maspero area. Carried in rugs. http://yfrog.com/o0ueccj
@Sarahcarr: Just awful scenes in the hospital. Women screaming men crying. A protester said "the army ran us over like we are animals""
The Egyptian government is currently holding an emergency meeting to discuss the clashes in Cairo.
Meanwhile the European Union foreign affairs chief said it is the responsibility of Egypt "to protect your people, whoever they are, wherever they come from or whatever belief or faith they have".
Egypt's benchmark share index has tumbled 5.1% in response the the instability.
It was the index's biggest decline since March when the Egyptian Exchange reopened after a seven-week shutdown due to the popular uprising against President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia has written an account of the violence in Cairo and the reaction to it (thanks to usini in the comments section for the link):
For the record the protest was peaceful in Shubra with thousands of Christians along with Muslim activists who went in a rally to Maspero building in what they called "The Wrath Sunday".The rally was peaceful till Shubra tunnel where suddenly it was met by rocks hurled and gunshots in the air by some people "allegedly from locales !!" , nevertheless the rally continued but people were angry. In their way to Maspero at Galaa street in front of Al Ahram Newspaper building there was some sort of clash. Some eye witnesses say there were gunshots in the air again from the bridge . I saw by own eyes the angry protesters heading to Maspero.
In Maspero it was like a war zone. The rally was dispersed violently by the military police and clashes started between protesters and military police. The military police vehicles ran over the protesters and the angry protesters had beaten some soldiers.
Several members of a committee set up by the Egyptian prime minister, Essam Sharaf, to deal with sectarian tensions have resigned or suspended membership in protest at the events in Cairo, according to CNN's Ben Wedeman.
Funeral processions will take place today at the Coptic cathedral in Abbassia for the victims of the violence in Cairo.
The BBC's Youssef Taha says there were 10 army vehicles outside the cathedral, which have now left. It's not clear whether they were there to keep the peace but their presence could be interpreted as a provocative gesture given the footage of army vehicles ploughing through crowds last night. Taha also says 38 coffins are being prepared for funerals at the cathedral (reports so far have put the death toll from last night at a minimum of 24).
Al-Jazeera's Adam Makary has posted a distressing picture (WARNING: very graphic) from the morgue of the Coptic hospital. There are other pictures from the hospital on his Twitter feed.
Sarah Carr has written a first-person account of the Cairo march at al-masry al-youm. It's worth reading the entire article as it's a detailed harrowing account but here's an extract:
At a traffic underpass at the end of Shubra Street, at around 6 pm, there was the sudden sound of what sounded like gunfire. Protesters at the front told those behind to stop - the march was under attack. Rocks rained down from left and right and from the bridge, underneath which protesters were taking shelter.
Some threw stones back. Behind them, protesters chanted, "The people want the removal of the Field Commander." The stone throwing eventually stopped sufficiently for the march to continue ...
Outside the Ramsis Hilton Hotel, the chanting stopped momentarily - the exuberance of having escaped the attack in Shubra faded as the march rounded the corner toward Maspiro.
It was immediately met with gunfire in the air. As protesters continued moving forwards, the gunfire continued.
Suddenly, there was a great surge of people moving back, and something strange happened. Two armored personnel carriers (APCs) began driving at frightening speed through protesters, who threw themselves out of its path. A soldier on top of each vehicle manned a gun, and spun it wildly, apparently shooting at random although the screams made it difficult to discern exactly where the sound of gunfire was coming from ...
And then it happened: an APC mounted the island in the middle of the road, like a maddened animal on a rampage. I saw a group of people disappear, sucked underneath it. It drove over them. I wasn't able to see what happened to them because it then started coming in my direction.
Carr also visited the morgue:
The morgue was a harshly lit two-room building surrounded by men and women screaming and hitting themselves in paroxysms of grief. In the first room there were two bodies, middle-aged men on the floor next to the fridge, which we were told held three bodies. In the other room there were the bodies of 12 men of varying ages.
A young woman sat by one of them clasping his hand and wailing. Vivian and Michael, who were engaged to be married. Michael had been crushed, his leg destroyed. Next to Michael was the body of a man whose face was contorted into an impossible expression. A priest opened his hands and showed me the remains of the man's skull and parts of his brain. He too had been crushed.
The official numbers of those killed and wounded in the violence in Cairo have been increased by Egypt's health ministry to 25 dead and 272 injured. Earlier reports stated that at least 200 people were wounded and 24 killed.
At least 31 people were killed in Syria on Sunday, according to activists. From the BBC:
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said they included 14 civilians and 17 security personnel.
Seven civilians died in the central city of Homs and the troops were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers refusing to shoot on protesters, they said. There is no confirmation ...
The Local Co-ordination Committees, which report on protests, said four members of the same family were killed in the Damascus suburb of Dumar on Sunday. The activist network said Mohammed al-Saegh was killed on Saturday and his father, grandfather and two of his uncles were killed while trying to prevent the security forces taking away his body on Sunday. It added that more than 50 people were arrested from the area.
Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
The UK foreign secretary, William Hague (pictured left), has expressed his concern at yesterday's violence in Egypt but has declined to apportion blame, instead calling on all sides to show restraint. He said:
I am deeply concerned by the unrest yesterday in Cairo and I condemn the loss of life. I urge all Egyptians to refrain from violence and support the Egyptian prime minister's call for calm. It is essential that all sides take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and engage in dialogue. The freedom of religious belief is a universal human right which needs to be protected everywhere, and the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of any free and democratic society.
This is another video recorded in Cairo last night. People appear to be demonstrating peacefully and then, about 3 minutes 20 seconds in, the whole atmosphere changes.
People, many of them screaming, start running in apparent terror from the security forces.
While Egyptian state TV has been accused of fomenting sectarianism between Muslim and Christian civilians, many Coptic Christians mourning the dead are laying the blame squarely at the door of the military rulers.
The BBC's Youssef Taha tweets:
Mourners at #Abassiyah Cathedral chanting "down down with military ruler" #Maspero #Copts #Egypt #jan25 http://yfrog.com/obg40pmj
Meanwhile the US embassy has released a statement on last night's events:
We are deeply concerned by the violence between demonstrators and security forces in Cairo October 9, which resulted in a number of deaths among both sides. We express our condolences to their families and loved ones. We note Prime Minister Sharaf's call for an investigation, and appeal to all parties to remain calm.
The Guardian has more video footage of last night's violence in Cairo and of the Egyptian prime minister, Essam Sharaf, alluding to foreign forces being behind the events.
Sharaf said:
Egypt has been through some difficult and painful hours for every honourable and loyal Egyptian citizen. We have witnessed unjustifiable violent events whose victims were a number of noble Egyptian people both civilians and military personnel. These events have taken us backwards and cast panic and fear over the future of the country, where instead of advancing to build a modern state of democratic principles, we are back searching for security and stability, worrying that hidden hands domestic and foreign seek to obstruct Egyptians in establishing a democracy.
Fresh violence has broken out in Cairo, the Associated Press reports.
It says several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks outside the Coptic hospital where many of the Christian casualties of Sunday's violence were taken.
Here's a summary of the main developments so far today:
Egypt
• Funerals are taking place in Cairo for the victims of Egypt's worst violence since Hosni Mubarak was ousted as president. Hundreds of mourners have gathered at the Coptic Cathedral in Abbassia, where there have been chants against the military.
• The official death toll from Sunday's violence stands at 25, with 272 injured, according to Egypt's health ministry. Video showed military vehicles ploughing through crowds of people demonstrating. Many people were said to have been crushed to death by armoured personnel carriers.
• There has been fresh violence in Cairo, with several hundred Christians pelting police with rocks outside the Coptic hospital where many of the Christian casualties of Sunday's violence were taken.
Libya
• The leaders of the revolutionary forces battling for control of Sirte say they have control of about 70% of Gaddafi's hometown. On Sunday, they took control of the Ouagadougou conference centre where troops loyal to the ousted dictator had held out for weeks.
Syria
• At least 31 people were killed in Syria on Sunday, according to activists. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said they included 14 civilians and 17 security personnel. Seven civilians died in the central city of Homs and the troops were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers refusing to shoot on protesters, they said.
Yemen
• President Ali Abdullah Saleh's foreign minister has travelled to the United Arab Emirates to negotiate a new plan with the Gulf Co-operation Council which would see Saleh remain in office until elections next year, the New York Times reports. Saleh. Yemen's beleaguered president said on Saturday that he would step down within days.
Egypt's Coptic church has called on followers to fast and pray for three days to mourn Christians killed in clashes with Muslims and security forces.
The church issued the mourning statement after its spiritual leader, Pope Shenouda III, met with 70 bishops. The three-day mourning period is to begin on Tuesday.
Meanwhile al-Jazeera reports that Egypt's military rulers have ordered an immediate investigation into events on Sunday night.
I just spoke to Amro Hassan, who has been at the mass taking place at the Coptic cathedral in Abbassia for the victims of Sunday's violence in Cairo. He said:
It's a very sombre atmosphere. It's a mix of anger and sorrow, frustration and grief ...at least 2,000 people ...are inside the church, it's fully packed ...every now and then a group of young people will come up and chant either against SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces), the ruling military leaders, or against the military because the majority of people I have spoken to earlier are really really angry and frustrated at violence that was ...deployed against Coptic protesters from the army.
Everyone I have spoken to here inside the church, all of them are convinced that it was some form of plan or plot orchestrated by the military ...they do understand that there were Muslim infiltrators that came in to attack Coptic demonstrators here at the demonstration but [they believe] that this did not just happen from the own planning of the Muslims who were in the nearby area surrounding the demonstration itself [but]... rather a plan that was orchestrated by the military. Rather [they believe that] the military was keen with bringing some people in plainclothes and civilian Muslims who would look as they were just coming in to end the protests [and not connected to the military] but they believe they are part of the military somehow.
The European Union has welcomed the creation of an opposition council in Syria as a "positive step forward" but has not formally recognised it.
The statement, agreed by EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg, comes after the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, warned that the country would take "strict measures" against nations that recognised the council (see 8.40am).
The statement said:
The EU notes the creation of the Syrian National Council as a positive step forward.
They also said President Assad "must step aside".
Forces loyal to the interim government in Libya are battling for control of the television station in Sirte, Peter Beaumont reports.
We are near the television station with one of the frontline units of the government forces. They have been pinned down here since midday. They actually got into the TV and radio complex earlier today. They got driven back by RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] ...
You can probably now here the sound of anti-aircraft guns. They are still trying to clear an area next to the television station so they can move forward again and take the television station.
Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has ordered the government to form a fact-finding committee to investigate last night's violence.
In a statement on state TV, SCAF, which has been blamed by Coptic Christians as well as Muslim pro-democracy activists for the deaths, said:
All legal measures will be taken against whomever is proven to have incited or been involved in the incidents.
The council doesn't want to respond to attempts to create a division between the people and the armed forces, which only aims at destroying the country and hindering democracy.
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