Egypt's armed forces chief warns unrest could cause collapse of state

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4. Egypt: protesters defy Morsi's curfew - Tuesday 29 January 2013

• The head of Egypt's armed forces has said that continuing civil unrest may soon cause the collapse of the Egyptian state. General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's comments have sparked fears that the military might once again intervene in the day-to-day governance of Egypt, a country effectively ruled for most of the past century by army officers.

• The continuing use of excessive force against protesters highlights the need to purge Egypt's police of human rights abusers, according Amnesty International. The UN's most senior human rights official Navi Pillay echoed Amnesty's concerned called on President Mohamed Morsi's government "to take urgent measures to ensure that law enforcement personnel never again use disproportionate or excessive force against protesters".

• Protesters defied a night-time curfew in towns along the Suez Canal, attacking police stations and ignoring the emergency rule imposed by the president, Mohamed Morsi. At least two men died in overnight fighting in the canal city of Port Said in the latest outbreak of violence unleashed last week on the eve of the anniversary of the 2011 revolt that brought down Hosni Mubarak. Huge crowds of protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Alexandria and in the three Suez Canal cities - Port Said, Ismailiya and Suez - where Morsi imposed emergency rule and a curfew on Sunday.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/jan/29/egypt-protests-defy-curfew-live