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Egypt unrest death toll reaches six, as more protests are set to be held today
Two more people have died and hundreds more were arrested as the biggest uprising against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule widened, prompting Washington to ‘encourage’ its long-time ally on democratic reforms.
Infuriated demonstrators appeared set for further protests today, despite a crackdown that saw hundreds detained and left six people dead over two days.
A policeman and a protester died in Cairo in a shower of rock-throwing between the two sides yesterday.
Police fired tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators and chased them through the streets, while protesters responded by throwing rocks at police, damaging several shop fronts in an area near the information ministry in downtown Cairo.
There were also clashes as demonstrators pushed their way through a gate into the compound of the foreign ministry before being driven out with tear gas.
Protesters in the northeastern port city of Suez threw Molotov cocktails at a government building, setting parts of it on fire, witnesses said.
Others firebombed and occupied the headquarters there of the ruling National Democratic Party.
In clashes with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowds, 55 protesters and 15 police were injured.
Many were also reported to have been arrested in Egypt's second city of Alexandria as they tried to reach a sea-front square to demonstrate.
The protests in the Arab world's most populous nation, inspired by the groundbreaking "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia, sent shockwaves across the region and Egypt's interior ministry banned further demonstrations.
Despite the ban and a threat to arrest those who disobeyed, members of the pro-democracy youth group April 6 Movement, the driving force behind the unrest, said they would take to the streets.
The pro-democracy group circulated SMS messages and posted appeals on social networking site Facebook for fresh demonstrations on Friday after the Muslim weekly prayers "to demand the right to live with freedom and dignity".
Facebook said yesterday that it had not seen any major changes in traffic following reports it had been blocked in Egypt.
The White House meanwhile issued a written statement in President Barack Obama's name on Egypt.
"The Egyptian government has an important opportunity to be responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people, and pursue political, economic and social reforms that can improve their lives and help Egypt prosper," it said.
