WEB DESK
Security forces clashed with hundreds of anti-government protesters in the Egypt port city of Suez yesterday, firing tear gas and live rounds.
Protesters headed to downtown Suez for the second night in a row, where security forces had put barricades. A security source said, at least 74 people were arrested after clashes between the crowds and police in the capital, Cairo.
The protests came after Mohamed Aly, an exiled businessman and opponent of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi posted calls online for demonstrations against him.
A heavy security presence was also maintained in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Egypt’s 2011 revolution, after protests in several cities called for the removal of President Sisi.
Egypt banned protests under a law passed following the 2013 military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.
But discontent over rising prices have been swelling in the country. President Sisi’s government has imposed strict austerity measures since 2016 as part of a 12-billion US dollar loan package from the International Monetary Fund.