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The world’s silence on the events unfolding in Egypt following a military coup that removed a democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, last Wednesday is very disturbing to say the least. More than 50 people have died and hundreds others injured since the ouster of Morsi who is now under house arrest together with close lieutenants.
A military coup no matter for what reason is undesirable, unacceptable and should never be condoned in this modern world. It is barbaric and uncivilised to resort to using force to remove an elected government from power.
The progressive world should reject in the strongest terms the use of force to remove democratically elected governments from power as what happened in Egypt.
What is surprising is that those that purport to be champions of democracy, the US and its allies, are openly backing the coup in Egypt. The military has started massacring protesters that are against the ouster of Morsi.
On Monday, more than 40 people were killed and 500 others injured after police and army fired at protesters staging a sit-in demanding the reinstatement of president Morsi.
According to the spokesperson for Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi’s party, police and soldiers fired directly at protesters camped at the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo killing 42 people and injuring more than 500 others.
Dozens of Egyptians have died while more than 1 000 others have been injured in street clashes between supporters and opponents of Morsi following the military coup. It seems there is no end in sight to clashes in Egypt which are becoming bloodier each passing day yet the world remains mum.
The progressive world should have been taken aback by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s response to the Egyptian coup when he said it was an “awesome manifestation of power” and show of “free democratic spirit” as the alternative would have been chaos. Mr Blair is now the Middle East peace envoy for the US, EU and the United Nations.
What else, Mr Blair, will qualify to be described as chaos if what is happening in Egypt is not chaos? The bloodletting in Egypt cannot be allowed to continue while the world stands aloof as though the lives of Egyptians are less important.
In the past the UN has been very vocal in condemning coups but surprising its own envoy Mr Blair is supporting the coup which, according to him, was a better alternative to addressing the challenges the administration in Cairo was facing under the leadership of president Morsi.
The UN should take a position to address the problem in Egypt and stop the massacre of people demanding democracy. Egyptians are rejecting military tyranny and the world has an obligation to see to it that democracy is restored in this Arab nation.
The army cannot claim that it is enforcing the will of the people after mass protests on 30 June calling on Morsi to resign. The Egyptian people are the ones who voted president Morsi into power last year and if they are no longer happy with his performance, they should again use the ballot to remove him and not the army to act on their behalf.
The army should confine itself to the barracks and concentrate on its mandate of safeguarding the country’s sovereignty. We want to applaud the African Union for suspending Egypt from all its activities until the restoration of constitutional order in that country.
We want to once again implore the UN to also urgently intervene and stop the bloodshed in Egypt. The US and its allies should not be allowed to advance their interests at the expense of the well-being of the Egyptians.
Online Reporter