Protesters say Egypt military uses force on them

A man holds an Egyptian flag during a rally at Tahrir Square, in Cairo, February 25, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Peter Andrews

By Marwa Awad and Dina Zayed

CAIRO | Fri Feb 25, 2011 9:01pm EST

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian soldiers fired in the air and used batons in the early hours of Saturday to disperse activists demanding the cabinet appointed by Hosni Mubarak be purged by the country's new military leaders, protesters said.

Thousands had gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to celebrate two weeks since Mubarak's removal and remind the country's new rulers, who have promised to guard against "counter revolution" of the people's power.

In the gathering in the epicenter of the uprising against the president, activists urged the military, who had promised there would be "no return to the past" of the Mubarak era, to overhaul the cabinet and install a team of technocrats.

But after midnight, protesters said the military fired in the air, shut off the light from lampposts, and moved in on protesters to force them to leave the square, in an unusual use of military force against protesters since Mubarak's fall.

"Military police used batons and tasers to hit the protesters," Ahmed Bahgat, one of the protesters, told Reuters by telephone. "The military is once again using force. But the protesters have not responded."

Protesters left the main center but many had gathered in surrounding streets, another protester, Mohamed Emad, said. Witnesses said they saw several protesters fall to the ground but it was not clear if they were wounded or how seriously.

"I am one of thousands of people who stood their ground after the army started dispersing the protesters, shooting live bullets into the air to scare them," said protester Ashraf Omar.

TASERS AND STICKS

"They were using tasers and sticks to beat us without any control. I thought things would change. I wanted to give the government a chance but there is no hope with this regime," Omar said. "There is no use."

"I am back on the street. I either live with dignity or I die here."

Protesters say they want the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, the immediate release of political prisoners and the issuing of a general amnesty.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's best organized political group, and others are particularly concerned about the key portfolios of defense, interior, justice and foreign affairs, and want a clean break from Mubarak's old guard.

The military, facing strikes over pay as well as turmoil in Libya, treads a fine line between granting people new freedoms and restoring normal life.

The army officers who moved in on protesters in Tahrir, donned black masks to cover their faces to avoid being identified by protesters, Omar said.

Military busses were parked in the square to take in protesters that were caught, Mohamed Aswany, one protester who had decided to stage a sit-in, told Reuters by telephone.

Protesters were heard yelling and shouting as they were chased down side streets to Tahrir.

"It is a cat and mouse chase between the army and the people," Omar said in dismay. "There is no more unity between the people and the army."

FORMER OFFICIALS DETAINED

In one attempt to appease protesters and show a break with the past, several former ministers and business executives linked to Mubarak's ruling party have come under investigation.

Egypt's public prosecutor referred two former ministers and several prominent businessmen to a criminal court on Thursday on accusations of squandering public funds.

In the latest case, investigators have ordered the detention of former Information Minister Anas el-Fekky for 15 days on charges of profiteering and wasting public funds, the state news agency MENA said on Saturday.

Investigators also ordered the head of the Egyptian Television and Broadcasting Union be detained.

Anti-government protesters had been angered by Fekky because state media, which fell under his charge, had ignored, played down or attacked demonstrations that ousted Mubarak.

Egypt's prosecutor said in its charges against Fekky that he had allocated state television funding to back presidential and parliamentary campaigns for Mubarak and his National Democratic Party, in violation of election laws.

The prosecutor also said Fekky had used excess funding in revamping studios and for channels owned by state television.

The former minister denied the charges, MENA reported, saying that he saw no excess in allocating budgets and that he had made such decisions to maintain competitiveness with other, private channels.

Fekky also denied that state television unfairly helped the campaign for Mubarak or his party:

"Those campaigns spoke of accomplishments in Egypt in general and did not praise one person or one party."

(Additional reporting by Mohamed Abdellah; Writing by Dina Zayed; Editing by Alison Williams)

Cameron defends Gulf arms sales

British PM backs presence of arms companies accompanying him on tour of Middle East, during interview with Al Jazeera. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2011 19:33 GMT David Cameron, the British prime minister, has strongly defended the presence of arms companies accompanying his visit to the Middle East this week. In an exclusive interview jointly held between Al Jazeera English and YouTube, Cameron was asked about the alleged use of western-manufactured weapons against civilians in the recent uprisings in Egypt and Libya. Cameron defended his tour party, citing democracy in Kuwait. He said: "One of the countries I went to, and one of the countries we have sold defence equipment in the past, and probably will in the future is Kuwait, a country that actually does have a level of democracy and also a country that was invaded by its neighbour Saddam Hussein. "So I don’t accept this argument that it is wrong in all circumstances to support the sale of defence equipment. "Britain unlike many other countries has tough controls on this and as for whether there is evidence about whether this equipment has been used [on civilians], I haven’t seen that evidence." Al Jazeera is currently banned in Kuwait after covering a police crackdown on an opposition gathering, an order which was criticised by Human Rights Watch. Cameron compared the recent uprisings in the Middle East to the fall of Eastern European dictators in 1989. Answering a question on what experience changed the way he viewed the world, he answered: "The experience that made me think a lot politically was the fall of the Berlin Wall. I think that year, that incredible year of 1989, was a tremendous year. "So many people felt that change wasn’t possible, and it proved a more bright democratic future was possible. And there are some echoes with what is happening in the world today." The British premier also had stern words for Iran. When asked why Iran should face tough action on nuclear weapons transparency, but Israel not, Cameron responded by appearing to ignore the occupation of Palestinian territories. He said: "There is a special case here with Iran, a country that is trying to get a nuclear weapon and is saying it believes in wiping another country off the map. "I can’t think of another country that has made that statement. That’s why it is a very special case." Source: Al Jazeera

Clashes spread across Cote d'Ivoire

Fighting spreads throughout the country in significant escalation of post-election power struggle. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2011 19:06 GMT

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of supporters of Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan [EPA] Armed groups controlling northern Cote d'Ivoire claim they have seized a town in government territory and are heading south, raising the prospects of a return to civil war. The fresh violence followed another night of clashes in the country's main city of Abidjan between forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president, and opponents who say he lost an election in November. The UN and foreign governments have demanded that Gbagbo hand power to rival Alassane Ouattara, widely seen as the winner of the contest. There were also reports of gunfire in the capital Yamoussoukro. "I can confirm that we are now in Zouan-Hounien," Ouattara Seydou, a spokesman for the rebel New Forces, which support Ouattara, said, He said the fighters were now in the process of moving towards Bin-Houin, a town from where they had been attacked by Gbagbo's forces. An army spokesman said he had "no information" on any rebel movements in the west, near the border with Liberia. The towns are small, remote and do not lie on a key axis, but the rebel announcement to have seized territory from Gbagbo's loyalists marked a significant escalation in a crisis which has turned increasingly violent this week. 'Explosions' Gbagbo has clung to power despite Ouattara being almost universally recognised as the winner of the presidential election. Residents in Abobo, a pro-Ouattara stronghold of Abidjan which has seen the heaviest of three days of clashes, said shooting rang out early on Thursday after a night of relative calm. The increasingly deadly tussle for control of the once prosperous state is the outcome of an election that was supposed to reunite it after a 2002-3 war, but has simply worsened divisions. "The shooting has started again. We hear shots and explosions," Tiemoko Souala told the Reuters news agency by telephone from central Abobo. "It is difficult to put up with this fear." A Reuters reporter on the road into Abobo saw scores of people streaming out of the neighbourhood to flee the fighting, which is in the northern outskirts of Abidjan, carrying suitcases and plastic bags of their belongings on their heads. Another witness reported shooting on Thursday near an area called PK18 when a helicopter flew overhead, but said it did not last very long. "We quickly returned to our houses. There is no one in the streets," said Abdoulaye Kone. Heavy fighting erupted in Abobo on Wednesday afternoon, after pro-Gbagbo forces reinforced their presence there. A military source said between 10 and 15 Gbagbo loyalists were killed in Abobo on Tuesday in an ambush by gunmen. Fighting in west A spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission said the new outbreak of fighting in the western 18 Montagnes region was "very worrying". "The UN thinks the clash poses a risk of armed conflict restarting ... which would have serious consequences for the Ivorian people and even the sub-region," Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire, said. Well over 300 people have died in suppressed street protests and armed clashes since the power struggle began. The economy has also ground to a halt as sanctions aimed at squeezing Gbagbo from power have hit ports and the cocoa industry. The clashes this week came as African leaders charged with resolving the crisis held talks with Gbagbo and Ouattara, who remains holed up in a UN-protected hotel in Abidjan. "I am going to see if I can leave the neighbourhood to go and stay in Yopougon [another neighbourhood] until this ends," Francois Kouakou, said. "I have never seen anything like this. I can't stay here."

Source: Agencies

Tunisia sets poll date amid turmoil

Transitional government announces mid-July elections as tens of thousands rally to demand prime minister steps down. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2011 20:20 GMT

Ghannouchi was prime minister for more than a decade under Ben Ali's rule, which Tunisians saw as corrupt [Reuters] Tunisia's transitional government has said it will hold elections by mid-July at the latest, the official TAP news agency has said, quoting a cabinet statement. The government "has decided that consultations with different political parties should not exceed mid-March.... Elections will be organised at the latest in mid-July 2011," the statement on Friday said. The announcement came as tens of thousands of protesters rallied on Friday to demand the resignation of Mohamed Ghannouchi's, the prime minister, transitional government set up after last month's ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country's former president. Demonstrators chanted "Ghannouchi leave" and "Shame on this government" as army helicopters circled above the crowd massed in the Kasbah government quarter, where police estimated that the number of people topped 100,000. Protesters shouted "Revolution until victory" and "We will root out repression in our land". "We are here today to topple the government," Tibini Mohamed, a 25-year-old student, told AFP news agency. Protests turn violent Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that protesters burned tires and threw rocks through the windows of the interior ministry building in the capital Tunis - long a symbol of repression under Ben Ali's more than 20-year rule. A source at the interior ministry also told them that protesters were also destroying cars parked outside. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera learned that tensions flared up in the central town of Kasserine, not far from Sidi Bouzid, where the protests first began in December. Our source said that protesters have set public buildings on fire and that she had heard sounds of shooting. Ghannouchi's caretaker government, tasked with leading Tunisia to elections due in about five months, has faced regular protests demanding it expel remnants of the old government. Friday's was the biggest of several rallies against the transitional authority since the fall of long-time ruler Ben Ali on January 14 following weeks of demonstrations, protesters and Red Crescent workers estimated. The interim government, tasked with organising the elections, has already undergone several changes after the protests, but Ghannouchi has remained. He was prime minister for more than a decade under Ben Ali's rule, which Tunisians saw as oppressive and corrupt.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Friday protests grip Middle East

Opposing political camps rally in Yemen while protesters vent anger after prayers in Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and Bahrain. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2011 11:55 GMT

Protesters in Yemen have been calling for an end to Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule [AFP] Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, have held rival rallies in the capital, Sanaa. Protesters outside Sanaa University repeated slogans demanding that the country's longtime president step down immediately, chanting: "The people demand the downfall of the regime." About 4km away, loyalists shouted support for the president, who they described as holding the fractured and impoverished tribal country together. "The creator of unity is in our hearts. We will not abandon him," they chanted. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Sanaa, said that while the situation is calm in the capital, due to the huge presence of police and military, there have been reports of protesters being killed in the south of the country. "The situation in Aden [in the south] is very tense, two people have been killed and at least 24 pro-democracy protesters were injured in clashes with security forces [today]," he said. "Security forces have been asked by the ministry of the interior to block the main square to put an end to the escalations there, as it is the stronghold of the secessionist movement who want to break away from the north. "There have been huge rallies in the province of Sadah, the stronghold of the Houthi fighters. They have said they are joining the protesters and that their fight will be similar to the fight of thousands of protesters who are asking for an end to the political regime." Yemen has been swept up in protests inspired by the recent successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. The demonstrators are demanding that Saleh, in power for 32 years, step down. 'Anarchy and killing' Seventeen people have died in the past nine days in a sustained wave of nationwide anti-Saleh protests. The embattled president has said he will not give in to "anarchy and killing". Anti-government demonstrations erupted in Jordan in January to protest against the rising cost of living [AFP] Saleh, a US ally against a Yemen-based al Qaeda wing that has launched attacks at home and abroad, is struggling to end month-old protests flaring across his impoverished country. He is also trying to maintain a shaky truce with northern Shia Muslim fighters and contain a secessionist uprising in the south against northern rule. Salah has offered to step down before elections scheduled for 2013 and state news agency Saba said he has assigned a committee headed by Ali Mohammed Megawar, the prime minister, to open a dialogue with protesters to hear their demands. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Egypt's new military rulers, promising to guard against "counter-revolution", faced political pressure on Friday to purge the cabinet of ministers appointed by Hosni Mubarak, the deposed president, as thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo. On the eve of the rally that will also celebrate two weeks since Mubarak's removal, the military, which has promised elections within six months, assured Egyptians there would be "no return to the past" of the Mubarak era. At a gathering at Tahrir Square, which was also to remind the military of the people power that ended Mubarak's 30-year rule, activists urged the military to overhaul the newly appointed cabinet and install a fresh team of technocrats. Protesters want Mubarak to be put on trial and for Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik to be fired. "Friday is another day of protest to bring together Egyptians who bravely ousted Mubarak but still struggle as remnants of the old regime try to hang on and ruin the revolution," Sameha Metwali, an activist, said. 'Day of Anger' On Friday, several thousand people demonstrated in the centre of the Jordanian capital, Amman, in a "Day of Anger" to call for political reforms. Jordan deployed more than 3,000 security personnel across central Amman, but police reportedly stayed on the sidelines and even gave bottles of water and juice to the protesters. "We are demonstrating today against the official bullying and to demand reforms," leading trade unionist Maisara Malas told AFP news agency. "We seek regime reforms. We want a true parliamentary monarchy. The monarchy should not dominate parliament." Hamzah Mansur, chief of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, told the crowds "reforms have become a necessity that cannot be delayed." "We want immediate constitutional change to help create productive governments and a truly representative parliament. These are the demands of all Jordanians." Meanwhile, more than 100 supporters of the Hashemite royal family gathered outside Al-Husseini Mosque, in the capital. In Bahrain, protesters thronged the capital, Manama, to demand the end of the ruling Sunni government. Tens of thousands of protesters headed for Pearl roundabout, the epicentre of daily demonstrations since February 14, chanting: "The people want to topple the regime!" Some of the protesters carried megaphones, blaring slogans and speeches as the protest made its way towards the roundabout, renamed "Martyrs' Roundabout" in honour of the seven victims of a deadly police raid on a protest last week. Signs around the square on Friday signalled that the protests were far from over: "We will not accept any dialogue with he who kills us in cold blood," declared one banner. Late on Friday, Al Jazeera learned from official sources in Bahrain that the king had sacked three ministers "who caused crisis" after the unrest.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Deaths in Iraq pro-reform rallies

At least six protesters killed by security forces, amid nationwide "day of rage" against corruption and poor services. Last Modified: 25 Feb 2011 14:46 GMT

The demands of protesters include basic services and the replacement of corrupt local officials [Reuters] Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets across the country to protest against corruption and a lack of basic services in an organised nationwide "day of rage", inspired by uprisings around the Arab world. In two northern Iraqi cities, security forces trying to push back crowds opened fire on Friday, killing six demonstrators. In Baghdad, the capital, demonstrators knocked down blast walls, threw rocks and scuffled with club-wielding troops. Hundreds of people carrying Iraqi flags and banners streamed into Baghdad's Tahrir Square, which was under heavy security. Military vehicles and security forces lined the streets around the square and nearby Jumhuriya bridge was blocked off. Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said there was a violent standoff between the protesters and the riot police on the bridge that leads to the heavily fortified Green Zone. Ahmed Rushdi, head of the House of Iraq Expertise Foundation, tried to join the protests in Baghdad but was prevented from doing so by the army. "This is not a political protest, but a protest by the people of Iraq. We want social reform, jobs for young people and direct supervision because there is lots of corruption," Rushdi told Al Jazeera. "If [prime minister Nuri] al-Maliki does not listen, we will continue this protest. He told everyone that we are Sadamists, but that is not right. We are normal Iraqi people." Eight years after the US-led invasion which ousted Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, development in the country remains slow and there are shortages of food, water, electricity and jobs. Protesters confirmed that they were protesting for a better life and better basic services. "We are free young men and we are not belonging to a certain ideological movement but we ask for our simple legitimate demands that include the right of education and the right of decent life,” Malik Abdon, a protester, said. 'Al-Qaeda threat' The Arab world has erupted in protests seeking to oust long-standing rulers and improve basic services, although Iraqi demonstrations have been more focused on anger over a lack of essential needs and an end to corruption rather than a change in government. Protesters have demonstrated throughout Iraq, from the northern city of Kirkuk to the southern oil hub of Basra. A crowd of angry marchers in the northern city of Hawija, 240km north of Baghdad, tried to break into the city's municipal building, Ali Hussein Salih, the head of the local city council, said. Security forces trying to block the crowd opened fire, killing three demonstrators and wounding 15, local officials said. The Iraqi army was eventually called in to restore order. In Mosul, also in northern Iraq, hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the provincial council building, demanding jobs and better services, when guards opened fire, according to a police official. A police and hospital official said three protesters were killed and 15 people wounded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to brief the media. Friday's protests were organised mainly through social networking site Facebook, echoing mass rallies mobilised by youths through social media which unseated Tunisia and Egypt's long-ruling heads of state. In recent weeks, protests had been mounting in cities and towns around Iraq. Several people have been killed and scores wounded in clashes between demonstrators and security forces. Al-Maliki, the prime minister, has affirmed the right of Iraqis to protest peacefully but on Thursday he advised them to stay away from Friday's demonstration due to possible violence by al-Qaeda and members of Saddam's banned Baath party. A weakened but stubborn campaign of violence by fighters is still capable of carrying out large-scale attacks in Iraq despite a big drop in overall violence since the peak of sectarian warfare in 2006-7. Shia clerics, including revered Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Moqtada al-Sadr, had also cautioned their followers about taking part in the protests on Friday.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Live Blog - Libya Feb 26

By Al Jazeera Staff in

Africa

on February 25th, 2011.

As the uprising in Libya enters its twelfth day, we keep you updated on the developing situation from our headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

Blog: Feb17 - Feb18 - Feb19 - Feb20 - Feb21 - Feb22 - Feb23 - Feb24 - Feb25

AJE Live Stream - Special Coverage: Libya Uprising - Twitter Audio: Voices from Libya

Benghazi Protest Radio (Arabic)

(All times are local in Libya GMT+2)

Show oldest updates on top

• Timestamp:

  2:35am:

  Mark Goldberg, Managing Editor, UN Dispatch, told Al Jazeera that the Libyan regime has become isolated and the targeted sanctions against Libyan government might encourage further defections.

• Timestamp:

  2:20am:

  After the UN security council meeting, Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler, reporting from UN headquarters, said that the most important point right now is how to stop the killings in Libya. However, the UN chief told our correspondent that military action was not on the card.

• Timestamp:

  1:50am

  Dozens of US diplomats and their families were among the US-chartered ship's estimated 300 passengers, two of whom had to be taken off the vessel on stretchers by paramedics after crossing over from Tripoli in 20-foot waves.

• Timestamp:

  1:09am:

  

• Timestamp:

  12:58am

  Twitter user @AnnSaid posted this picture.
  

• Timestamp:

  12:46am

  Libya's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Shalgham, has defected, following in the footsteps of his deputy Ibrahim Dabbashi, a diplomat said on Friday.

• Timestamp:

  12:35am

  A son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Friday that his forces were holding back in fighting with rebels in western Libya and hoped that a negotiated ceasefire could be in place by Saturday, according to Reuters.

• Timestamp:

  12:20am

  After three days of delays, a U.S.-chartered ferry carrying Americans and other foreigners out of the chaos of Libya finally arrived on Friday at the Mediterranean island of Malta.

• Timestamp:

  12:10am

  After 41 years of ruthless rule by Muammar Gaddafi, Libyans are suddenly free to rule themselves. Here's a picture gallery from boston.com on the lives of Libyans in the liberated areas of the country.

• Timestamp:

  11:45pm

  Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam says army holding back and hopes for peaceful settlement "by tomorrow", according to Reuters.

• Timestamp:

  10:25pm

  In Chad, Foreign Ministry's General Secretary Moussa Mahamat Dago rejected allegations that citizens of his African country were amongst those reportedly recruited by Gaddafi to crack down on protesters

• Timestamp:

  10:15pm

  An Italian navy assault ship, the San Giorgio, has loaded up 245 evacuees in the Libyan port of Misrata and has set sail for Sicily.

• Timestamp:

  10:04pm

  The United States has suspended embassy operations in Libya and is moving forward with unilateral sanctions.