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RADIO:

At least 51 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Egypt, after shooting broke out as pro-Morsi supporters demonstrated outside the Republican Guard HQ, in the early hours of this morning. 

The Egyptian military say the protesters were “a terrorist group”, and had tried to storm the building. 

Meanwhile, attempts to install a transitional caretaker government have stalled as the influential Islamist al-Nour party have pulled out of negotiations in response to today’s violence.

Nima Green reports for the Voice of Russia radio.

This morning Egyptians woke up to the news that transition into post-Morsi Egypt has been stained with further bloodshed.

Morsi supporters allege that just before dawn, soldiers and the police opened fire into a peaceful crowd, demonstrating outside the Head Quarters of the Egyptian Republican Guard.

The Muslim Brotherhood, and the second biggest Islamist part, al-Nour, have both criticised the army calling the shootings “a massacre”.

However, the army claimed the crowds contained “terrorists” who were attacking the building, killing one soldier, two policemen  and injuring eight other soldiers.

Today’s violence is the latest in a nation stuck in impasse over who will run Egypt.

Egypt’s interim administration has launched an investigation into this morning’s killings and President Adly Mansour has expressed his sorrow over the deaths.

However this has come too late to stop the political fallout over the bloodshed.

The influential, ultra-conservative al-Nour party, who previously supported last week’s coup, has pulled out of fledgling negotiations to build and interim government.

Also, the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood’s political wing, has called on Egyptians to stage yet another “uprising” against the army-backed administration, which it accuses of “trying to steal the revolution with tanks.”

Many fear that this further political breakdown has dashed any hopes of a peaceful path towards any unity settlement.

Fears of a political vacuum

Yet the race is still on to create a full interim administration to govern.

Two interim candidates for Prime Minister have already been rejected, including Mohammed ElBaradei.

The President’s office named ElBaradei as PM last week and then, just as swiftly, had to back-track, as it became clear that Islamist groups, including al-Nour, would not accept him.

Adly Mansour remains an unstable President as the stalemate lingers and the chasm of political indecisiveness widens.

As the vacuum remains, there are real fears of further violence as many are feeling increasingly disenfranchised by the political machinations of those holding the reigns of power.

Many warn that that the Egyptian economy will also suffer.

Observers fear that Egypt is becoming more and more polarised and is veering towards civil war.

Two years of rhetoric about ousting dictators, revolution, freedom and dignity has led to disillusionment.

Meanwhile, the ousted Muslim Brotherhood is urging the international community to intervene to “stop massacres” and prevent Egypt becoming “a new Syria”.

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