Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister Hossam Eissa has said the authorities may reconsider the curfew should tensions cool off across the country. His statement came after Friday saw lower turnouts at pro-Morsi protests. In a phone interview on Dream TV, Eissa said army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is not involved in the decision-making process of the government. El-Sisi is widely seen as the de-facto ruler of the country, although he appointed a civilian president in Adly Mansour upon Mohamed Morsi’s ouster. Morsi was removed by the army on 3 July amid nationwide protests against his rule. Rival protests by supporters and opponents of the former president, a senior figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, have resulted in many casualties. Hundreds of Morsi supporters were killed when security forces cleared sit-ins in Cairo and Giza on 14 August. On 14 August, Egypt’s interim Cabinet re-introduced a state of emergency, which includes a daily curfew starting at 7pm until 6am in 14 governorates for a month.
Aug242013