Egypt on the verge of civil war, Putin says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt is on the verge of a civil war, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, July 7, as tensions continued to escalate in the North African country between the supporters and opponents of deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

“Syria is already engulfed in a civil war and, no matter how sad it may sound, Egypt is also moving in the same direction. It would be good, if the Egyptian people avoided this fate,” Putin said during his working visit to Kazakhstan, RIA Novosti reported.

The Egyptian armed forces on Wednesday deposed Morsi and suspended the country’s constitution, Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said in a televised address to the nation. He said the head of Egypt’s Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, would lead the country during the transition period until an early presidential election is held.

Dozens have reportedly been killed and hundreds injured in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents across the country since Morsi’s ouster from power.