Security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators in Upper Egypt’s Aswan early on Saturday so as to disperse clashes between supporters and opponents of Egypt’s toppled Islamist leader.
Skirmishes broke out in the early morning in the city’s iconic Shohadaa Square, a hotbed of Islamist rallies. The rival sides clashed after a march by the former president’s Islamist backers convened at the square. Police later intervened by firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Tension and political divisions have been mounting in Egypt since the army’s ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July following mass street pressure calling for his resignation.
Morsi’s supporters marched across Egyptian cities Friday night, with tens of thousands rallying in Cairo to demand his reinstatement.
The former president’s loyalists have maintained a sit-in in Cairo and Giza, vowing to remain until their leader is back to office.