Death toll rises in Egypt Christian clashes as tension continues
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| Egyptian Coptic Christians clash with soldiers and anti-riot police during a protest in Cairo on 9 October. |
Cairo (CNN) -- The number of dead in clashes between the army and pro-Coptic Christian protesters in Egypt over the weekend rose to at least 25, with at least 272 wounded, a Healthy Ministry official told CNN Monday.
But conflicting reports from the two sides indicated the death toll could be as high as 29 in violence that an army spokesman speculated may have been guided by a "hidden hand" associated with neither side.
Many of the dead and injured were crushed by speeding military vehicles, said Dr. Adel al-Dawi of the ministry.
The violence -- the deadliest in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled by a popular revolution in February -- has brought the country back to the tense, violent period before the uprising, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Monday.
"Instead of going forward, we found ourselves scrambling for security," Sharaf said on state television in an early morning speech, noting that the incident had produced "martyrs, both civilian and from the military."
Hundreds of Coptic Christians rallied outside a hospital Monday, chanting "The army has its tanks but we have our prayers," CNN saw.
Some Muslims were at the rally to express solidarity with Christians.
Egyptian security sources said there was violence at the rally, with stones being thrown, but CNN saw no evidence of that.
Both European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed concern about Sunday's violence.
Ashton said Monday she was "extremely concerned by the large number of deaths and injuries," while Hague condemned the loss of life.
The bloodshed in Cairo occurred just over a week after the burning of a Coptic Christian church in southern Egypt.
The violence broke out around a protest on Sunday demanding equality and protection of Coptic places of worship.
Coptic Christians, an ancient sect, make up about 9% of Egypt's population, according to the U.S. State Department.
They have suffered serious violence in recent months.
A Coptic church in the city of Alexandria was bombed on New Year's Day, killing 23 people -- the deadliest attack on Christians in Egypt in recent times.
There were also clashes involving Coptic Christians in May, leaving at least 12 dead.
But there has also been mutual support between the minority Christians and majority Muslims in Egypt, with reports of Christians protecting anti-Mubarak Muslim demonstrators when they stopped for daily prayers during the uprising.
Despite the Health Ministry toll of 25 on Sunday, figures from the two sides indicated as many as 29 may have died.
Sherif Doss, the head of Egypt's association of Coptics, said 17 civilians died and 40 were injured.
An additional 12 army troops were killed and more than 50 were injured, according to Lt. Col. Amr Imam, an army spokesman.
The protesters -- many of them Coptics or supportive of their cause -- said they had been marching peacefully toward the Egyptian state television building when the violence erupted.
But conflicting reports from the two sides indicated the death toll could be as high as 29 in violence that an army spokesman speculated may have been guided by a "hidden hand" associated with neither side.
Many of the dead and injured were crushed by speeding military vehicles, said Dr. Adel al-Dawi of the ministry.
The violence -- the deadliest in Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled by a popular revolution in February -- has brought the country back to the tense, violent period before the uprising, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Monday.
"Instead of going forward, we found ourselves scrambling for security," Sharaf said on state television in an early morning speech, noting that the incident had produced "martyrs, both civilian and from the military."
Hundreds of Coptic Christians rallied outside a hospital Monday, chanting "The army has its tanks but we have our prayers," CNN saw.
Some Muslims were at the rally to express solidarity with Christians.
Egyptian security sources said there was violence at the rally, with stones being thrown, but CNN saw no evidence of that.
Both European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed concern about Sunday's violence.
Ashton said Monday she was "extremely concerned by the large number of deaths and injuries," while Hague condemned the loss of life.
The bloodshed in Cairo occurred just over a week after the burning of a Coptic Christian church in southern Egypt.
The violence broke out around a protest on Sunday demanding equality and protection of Coptic places of worship.
Coptic Christians, an ancient sect, make up about 9% of Egypt's population, according to the U.S. State Department.
They have suffered serious violence in recent months.
A Coptic church in the city of Alexandria was bombed on New Year's Day, killing 23 people -- the deadliest attack on Christians in Egypt in recent times.
There were also clashes involving Coptic Christians in May, leaving at least 12 dead.
But there has also been mutual support between the minority Christians and majority Muslims in Egypt, with reports of Christians protecting anti-Mubarak Muslim demonstrators when they stopped for daily prayers during the uprising.
Despite the Health Ministry toll of 25 on Sunday, figures from the two sides indicated as many as 29 may have died.
Sherif Doss, the head of Egypt's association of Coptics, said 17 civilians died and 40 were injured.
An additional 12 army troops were killed and more than 50 were injured, according to Lt. Col. Amr Imam, an army spokesman.
The protesters -- many of them Coptics or supportive of their cause -- said they had been marching peacefully toward the Egyptian state television building when the violence erupted.
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