Protests kill 33 in Egypt power struggle

At least 51 people were killed in clashes in Egyptian cities yesterday, security sources said, after opponents and supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi took to the streets in one of the bloodiest days since the army seized power.

In a sign of more possible violence to come, an alliance including Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood urged Egyptians to protest beginning Tuesday and gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, declaring: "No one will stop us from (Tahrir) no matter what the sacrifices."

Egypt has been gripped by turmoil since the army ousted Morsi on July 3 after mass protests against his rule, prompting his Muslim Brotherhood to demonstrate in the streets.

On August 14, the military-backed authorities smashed two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo, with hundreds of deaths, and then declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew.

Many of the Brotherhood's leaders have been arrested since.

The Interior Ministry described the clashes during the anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel as an attempt by the Muslim Brotherhood to "ruin the celebrations and cause friction with the masses."

The Brotherhood's political wing said it held army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sis and the Interior Ministry responsible for yesterday's deaths.