• Emergency declared, curfew imposed • 149 dead as pro-Morsi camps stormed • ElBaradei quits as VP to protest raids • Saudi nationals urged to stay indoors CAIRO – Egyptian security forces crushed a protest camp of thousands of supporters of the deposed president on Wednesday, shooting dead scores of people in the bloodiest day in decades in the Arab world's biggest country. The health ministry said 149 people were killed, both in Cairo and in clashes that broke out elsewhere in the country. While dead bodies wrapped in carpets were carried to a makeshift morgue near the Rabaa Al-Adawiya mosque, the army-backed rulers declared a one-month state of emergency, restoring to the military the unfettered power it wielded for decades before a pro-democracy uprising in 2011. A daily curfew slapped on Cairo and 13 other provinces by army-installed authorities entered into force at 7:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Wednesday. The curfew was to run until 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) daily. It applies to the provinces of Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Beni Suef, Menya, Assiut, Sohag, Beheira, North Sinai, South Sinai, Suez, Ismailiya, Fayoum and Qena. Egypt's Vice President and pro-reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei resigned to protest deadly police assaults. He submitted his resignation in a letter to interim President Adly Mansour, saying he was not prepared to be held responsible for a “single drop of blood” and warned that violence will breed more violence and the country is more polarized than it was when he took office. The bloody crackdown triggered widespread condemnation as the international community reacted with alarm to what some termed a “massacre.” The United Nations, the United States, Britain, Iran, Qatar and Turkey strongly denounced the use of force by the military-backed interim government to clear two protest camps in Cairo. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who had urged both sides to exercise restraint, expressed regret that “Egyptian authorities chose instead to use force to respond to the ongoing demonstrations,” according to a statement issued by his spokesman. The United States, which had offered qualified backing to the interim government, “strongly condemns” the violence against protesters and urges the military to show restraint, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was deeply concerned at the escalating violence and unrest. “I condemn the use of force in clearing protests and call on the security forces to act with restraint,” Hague said. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted: “Main responsibility with regime forces. Extremely hard to restore political process.” France, Germany and Italy refrained from apportioning blame for the crisis, calling for calm from both sides. Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said she was profoundly saddened by events in Egypt. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed concerns over the developments, and called upon all parties to exercise self-control and return to the dialogue table. Saudi Ambassador to Egypt Ahmad Qatan urged Saudi citizens to stay indoors and keep away from places of protests and clashes. He called upon citizens to call 00201124393333 for help anytime. Violence spread beyond Cairo, with Morsi supporters and security forces clashing in the cities of Alexandria, Minya, Assiut, Fayoum and Suez and in Buhayra and Beni Suef provinces. With the assault on the camps, the authorities have ended the six-week stand-off with a show of state force that defied international pleas for restraint. The bloodshed also effectively ends the open political role of the Brotherhood, which survived for 85 years as an underground movement before emerging from the shadows after the 2011 uprising to win every election held since. – Agencies
