Editorial
Egypt sliding into chaos
Collective wisdom should prevail
WEDNESDAY'S crackdown on the pro-Morsi anti-government demonstrators by Egypt's military-backed interim government has spilled the blood of scores of civilians.
We deprecate this action by the Egyptian authority along with the rest of the global community who has universally denounced it.
The high-handed action has not helped to quell the demonstrations, much less restore order in Egypt. On the contrary, the bloody raid by the Egyptian security forces, though it temporarily succeeded in dismantling the camps where the demonstrators had been staging their sit-in from, has only caused to trigger a widespread violence in different parts of Cairo as well as all across the country. The measures like dawn to dusk curfews and the one month's state of emergency as imposed by the authority to bring the emerging situation under control may not help the situation. Rather it will lend further credence to the suspicion that the present military rulers of Egypt might want to continue their grip on state power as long as they can.
If the interim Egyptian authority is really willing to pursue the path of reconciliation as it had pledged upon assuming power after July 3 coup, it must stop further blood-letting and create the condition for inclusive settlement among all the political stakeholders.
The international community, the US in particular, has a crucial role to play in saving Egypt from sliding into a civil war. Given the influence it has on the Egyptian military, it is hoped, the US will wield its influence to usher the country on to the path of peace and democracy.
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