Cairo protesters face more gunfire

Death toll rises as violent clashes continue in Egypt between anti-government and pro-Mubarak supporters The sound of gunfire continued to be heard across central Cairo this morning, as anti-Mubarak protesters held their ground against pro-government assaults. After a dramatic night of fighting on streets and rooftops around Tahrir Square and the Egyptian museum, violence continued well after dawn. Local news channels reported that four had been killed in the latest clashes, though doctors on the ground told the Guardian that the death toll was higher. Witnesses who spent the night in the square said there were major shooting incidents at 11pm and 4am local time, the latter involving a sniper equipped with a laser sight. Seven protesters were reported to be confirmed dead at a nearby makeshift medical centre, with three other bodies still unrecovered. “We had over 1,000 injured through the night, including several dead from gunshots,” said Dr Ibrahim Fata, a professor of surgery and one of more than 70 doctors who have volunteered to help treat those injured at the square. “It’s like a war situation in here; some of the pro-change resistance did not bring their wounded to us because they didn’t want to leave their positions. I haven’t slept in the last day and a half.” As Fata was speaking the Guardian witnessed a man with a broken spine being brought in on a corrugated iron stretcher, while others walked around in bandages. Some protesters had taped cardboard boxes to their heads to serve as crude helmets. The shootings came after protesters seeking an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade-long dictatorship were attacked yesterday by supporters of the Egyptian leader, many of whom were found to be carrying police identification. Molotov cocktails were thrown from buildings and several fires burned through the night. By this morning it was clear the pro-change protesters had succeeded in repelling the assaults and holding Tahrir, their main rallying point throughout this ten-day uprising. At a barricade on Meret Basha Street, approximately 50 metres from a flyover on Abdel Munim Riyad Square, another aid station treated those wounded in the fighting. About 1,000 pro-Mubarak militants continued to mass on the flyover, throwing stones at the crowds below, though it was clear they were increasingly outnumbered, with up to 4,000 anti-regime protesters inside the square and many more gathering as mid-morning approached. Some sections of road are so littered with debris and ripped up by those seeking rocks to throw that they are now impassable. But organisation amongst the pro-change forces remains strong, with groups cooking breakfast over fires and handing out food to the crowds. “Where have you been, this government is killing us,” appealed Wael Abdel Aziz, a pharmacist camped out in Tahrir. A second man, who would give his name only as Osama, said: “Mubarak decided to kill the Egyptian people. He is treating us like insects, trying to crush us.” Egypt Hosni Mubarak Middle East Protest Peter Beaumont Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk

Posted by on February 3, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry