Egypt’s interim Vice President and Nobel Peace Laureate, Mohamed ElBaradei, has resigned from his post after deadly clashes Wednesday that killed an estimated150 people across the country.
In a resignation letter to Interim President Adly Mansour, ElBaradei said that “the beneficiaries of what happened today are those who call for violence, terrorism and the most extreme groups,” he said.
He added: “It has become difficult for me to continue bearing responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear. I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood.”
Sources have said that Egypt’s two deputy prime ministers, Hossam Eissa Ziad Bahaa El-Din, might also both offer their resignations as well.
The country’s security forces stormed two protest camps occupied by supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, killing dozens of them.
Armoured bulldozers moved deep into the main camp outside the eastern Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque and another protest camp at Nahda Square, pulling down all the tents used as shelter by the protesters.
The leftist group, the Egyptian Popular Current, led by ex-presidential candidate, Hamdeen Sabbahi, holds the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for Wednesday’s violence on the grounds that the Islamist group has “chosen a standoff scenario with the state.”
“We reject the Brotherhood’s attempt to enlarge the circle of violence in Cairo and thegovernorates, as well as their targeting of churches and police stations,” said the group’s statement, released on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s army-backed government has declared a state of emergency and clamped a curfew on large parts of the country.
The curfew has been imposed on 12 out of 27 governorates – Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Suez,Ismailia, Assiut, Sohag, Beni Suef, Minya, Beheira, South Sinai, and North Sinai.
It will last for a month and those who do not abide by the curfew will be imprisoned, according to a government statement.
Cairo’s underground metro will be closed from 7pm Wednesday due to the curfew, an official told Egyptian television. It will reopen Thursday morning at 6am when the curfew is lifted.
The US has condemned the violent crackdown on protesters and strongly opposed the declaration of a state of emergency.
White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, urged Egypt’s military leaders to respect the basic human rights of the Egyptian people.
Earnest said the violence will only make it more difficult for the parties involved to return to the path of peace and democracy.
The Coptic Orthodox Church has also condemned the continued attacks on churches and Christian properties on Wednesday.
In a statement, the church called on the Egyptian armed forces to help the police in maintaining security.