Nearly a month after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, violence escalated once again on Tuesday as Christians and Muslims fought each other in the capital city of Cairo. Thousands of Christians gathered in two separate locations in Cairo to protest what they perceive as persecution and discrimination by the country’s Muslim majority. Police fired shots into the air to break up the clash between the two groups while the protestors burned tires and smashed cars.
Women Protesters Abused by Passersby
In other protests in the capital women gathered to protest rampant sexual harassment and to demand equal rights while men confronted them, verbally abusing them and pushed them in the now infamous Tahrir Square in central Cairo.
Meanwhile Al Jazeera satellite TV reported that soldiers detained the head of the state security services on Tuesday. Last week demonstrators rampaged through the building which houses the state security forces and confiscated documentation which, according to the protesters, show proof of human rights abuses by the security forces. No confirmation of this has yet been released.
Sudan’s Al-Bashir Visits Egypt
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in Cairo and met with the head of the Egyptian head of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, on Tuesday to explore ways in which the two countries can strengthen their political and economic ties. Al-Bashir is the first Arab leader to come to Egypt after the resignation of Hosni Mubarak a month ago on February 11th.
Armed Forces Ruling Egypt
Tantawi is the leader of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces in Egypt, the body that is currently running the country. In addition to discussing strengthening bilateral ties, they also discussed the developing events around North Africa and the Middle East.
“Al-Bashir’s visit to Cairo reveals a Sudanese supportive stance for the Egyptian people during such a historical situation,” said Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdul Rahman Siral-Khatim.
While Mubarak still ruled Egypt he supported al-Bashir against an arrest warrant which was issued for him by the International Criminal Court in 2009. The Sudanese leader consistently defied the indictment, which sought his arrest for his role in directing war crimes and genocide in Darfur.