AFRICA/EGYPT - Foreign groups threaten to enter Egypt in aid to the Muslim Brotherhood

Monday, 8 July 2013

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - "We hope peace is restored soon, but we have no idea how the situation will evolve", says to Fides Agency Fr. Rafic Greiche, head of communications for the Catholic bishops of Egypt, who says that the clashes are approaching the area where he resides.
In the clashes outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard at least 42 people have died and 300 have been injured.
The climate of violence also caused the death of a Coptic priest on July 6, in El Arish, a city in the Sinai Peninsula, on the border with the Gaza Strip.
"The Coptic Orthodox Church attached to El Arish, whose pastor was killed, had already been attacked and burned three months ago", recalls Fr. Greiche. "Sinai is an area now without any control by the State due to the presence of various armed groups, jihadists and other types."
The latest news is that the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood has launched an appeal to the Egyptian people in revolt against the army, which deposed President Mohammed Morsi.
We call on Fr. Greiche if in his opinion Egypt is on the brink of a civil war. "Technically a civil war occurs between different armed groups" he responds. "Right now we have a clash between an organized majority and a minority, with the army and the police to separate the contenders". "It is not a civil war as in Syria" at least not yet, because Fr. Rafic adds that "Syrian and Palestinian groups have said they want to enter Egypt to sow chaos". Also from Libya the flow of weapons looted from the deposits of the deceased leader Gaddafi or those donated to the rebels from Arab Countries and NATO continue. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 08/07/2013)


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