Egypt Tensions Soar as Army Encircles Pro-Morsi Sit-Ins

The streets of Cairo were again on edge Monday as dawn broke with expectations that encampments held by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi would face the wrath of the military council and its chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has repeatedly called for the sit-ins to be cleared.

Though clashes were not yet underway and the sit-ins remained peaceful, reports indicate that the military was following through with plans to circle the camps and was setting up check points in an effort to cut of supplies moving into the areas where they are being held.

However, the Associated Press reports the military’s plan to fully “disperse” the camps has been postponed following details of the plan being leaked to the press:

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Backers of Morsi, mostly drawn from members of the Muslim Brotherhood, have vowed not to be moved and claim their right to speak out against Morsi’s ouster last month as a clear example of a military coup.

As Reuters notes, almost 300 people have been killed in political violence since Morsi’s overthrow, including well over one hundred of his supporters shot dead in two separate incidents where army and security officials fired on Muslim Brotherhood protests.

Reports indicate that the current threats and warnings by the army had given those participating in the sit-ins time to fortify their positions, while some efforts were reported to be underway to avoid what many see as an inevitable return to violence.

As Al-Jazeera reports:

Reuters reports that “a pro-Morsi grouping, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood,” were not only making preparations inside their sit-in encampments, but also called on public marches to counter the military’s threats:

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