Mass Syria rallies prompt clashes

30 December 2011 Last updated at 09:51 ET

Activist Omar al-Khani says Syrian forces attacked protesters in front of the observers

Syrian security forces have reportedly clashed with protesters, leaving at least 10 dead, as tens of thousands took to the streets across the country.

Activists said several people were injured when troops opened fire to disperse a demonstration in Douma, a suburb of the capital, Damascus.

At least five were killed in Deraa and another five in Hama, they added.

The opposition called on people to join rallies to show Arab League monitors the scale of anti-government anger.

The monitors are visiting the country to verify the government's implementation of a peace initiative, which demands an end to all violence, troops pulled off the streets and political prisoners freed.

Up to 40 protesters were reportedly killed on Thursday while awaiting visits from monitors, who fanned out across the country for the first time.

The UN says more than 5,000 have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March. The government says it is fighting "terrorist gangs" and 2,000 security forces personnel have died.

Casualty figures and other information are hard to verify as most foreign media are barred from Syria.

'Nail bombs'

Correspondents say the presence of the monitors has emboldened the protesters.

Following Friday prayers, there were mass rallies in several suburbs of Damascus, the restive central cities of Homs and Hama, and the southern city of Deraa, where the uprising began.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 250,000 people had taken to the streets in the north-western province of Idlib.

"This Friday is different from any other Friday. It is a transformative step. People are eager to reach the monitors and tell them about their suffering," Abu Hisham, an activist in Hama, told the Reuters news agency.

Activists published photos purportedly showing a mass protest in the city of Hama

Footage of Homs broadcast by al-Jazeera TV showed a huge crowd dancing and shouting: "Revolution, revolution Syria, revolution of glory and freedom Syria."

But a resident of central Damascus, Ram, told the BBC that heavily-armed security forces had been deployed outside his local mosque to intimidate protesters.

"They were daring people. It's the first time that they were showing their guns showing their weapons outside," he said. "So they were telling people: 'Once you just say the word, we will shoot you.'"

In the suburb of Douma, a protest by an estimated 70,000 people was broken up by troops, who fired live rounds and tear gas, activists said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 20 protesters were hurt when "nail bombs" were detonated when they approached the town hall, where Arab League monitors were believed to be based.

The Observatory also said security forces opened fire on demonstrations in Hama and Deraa, killing at least five people in each city.

Another activist group, the Local Co-ordination Committees, said the nationwide death toll on Friday was 32, with nine killed in Hama, six in Deraa, six in Idlib, and four in Tal Kalakh, near the border with Lebanon.

The bodies of five members of the same family were found in the Deir Baalbah area of Homs, a day after they were arrested, it added.

'Barrier of fear broken'

The Arab League observer mission has faced criticism for being led by Sudan's Gen Mustafa al-Dabi, who Amnesty International has accused of carrying out human rights violations in his own country.

But the League says Gen Dabi has full support, and the US has urged detractors to allow the team to finish its work.

Russia's foreign ministry says the first comments from the observers showed the situation in Syria was "reassuring".

The comments came in an interview Gen Dabi gave on Thursday after a visit to Homs.

"Some places looked a bit of a mess but there was nothing frightening," he told Reuters.

But the Local Coordination Committees, a Syrian activist group that documents and organises protests, said that 130 people had been killed since the monitors arrived in the country earlier this week.

The anti-government Free Syrian Army says it has requested a meeting with the observers but received no response.

"We haven't been given any of the [telephone] numbers for the monitors, which we have requested. No one has contacted us either," said Col Riad al-Asaad, who heads a force claiming to be 10,000-strong, many of whom defected from the Syrian army during the uprising.

The rebel commander told Reuters his forces had been ordered to stop all attacks on government troops since the arrival of the observers in the country.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the Arab League's initiative was "the only ray of light" for Syrians.

"The presence of the observers in Homs broke the barrier of fear," he told AFP.

Despite the presence of the Arab monitors - who are being escorted around the country by state security officials - there has been little let-up in the ferocity of the response to protests, correspondents say.

The US State Department and UK foreign office have expressed concern about the continuing violence.

Are you in Syria? Do you have friends or family in Syria? What do you think of the visit by the Arab League monitors? Send us your comments and experiences.

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Nigeria clashes 'leave 50 dead'

24 December 2011 Last updated at 07:59 ET

Damaturu was the scene of an attack by Islamists last month

More than 50 people have died in days of fighting between Nigerian forces and suspected Islamist gunmen in the country's north-east, officials say.

Boko Haram militants had suffered heavy casualties in a lengthy gun-battle in the town of Damaturu, said army chief of staff Lt Gen Azubuike Ihejirika.

"We killed over 50 of them," said Lt Gen Ihejirika.

The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", often targets security forces and state institutions.

"They came with sophisticated and heavy weaponry... and bombs but our trained soldiers subdued them," Lt Gen Ihejirika told local radio.

Seven policemen and two soldiers died in the clashes, Yobe's Police Commissioner Lawan Tanko told the BBC.

Deaths were also reported after clashes in Potiskum to the west of Damaturu.

'Lobbing grenades'

The fighting had erupted in Damaturu - the state capital of Yobe - on Thursday afternoon, Police Commissioner Tanko said earlier.

One eye-witness told the BBC that bomb blasts and shooting could be heard around Damaturu for several hours.

"People are scared and they are just moving out of the town now," said the witness, who gave his name as Suliman.

Boko Haram first came to prominence in 2009 when hundreds of its followers were killed when they attacked police stations in Maiduguri.

Its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, was arrested but died in police custody.

Boko Haram resumed its attacks - mostly in Maiduguri - a year later and has since staged deadly raids across the mostly Muslim north, as well as central areas such as Jos and Abuja.

Under Yusuf's leadership, the group demanded that Nigeria become an Islamic state but it is now believed to be made up of several factions, with various demands.

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Death toll rises in Cairo clashes

20 November 2011 Last updated at 19:25 ET

The BBC's Helena Merriman says police were beating protesters - "about 20 or 30 of them I saw, covered in blood"

Thousands of Egyptian protesters remain in Cairo's Tahrir Square after two days of clashes in which at least 13 people were killed and hundreds injured.

On Sunday, police and troops made a violent attempt to evict the demonstrators, firing tear gas and beating them with truncheons.

However, the protesters returned less than an hour later, chanting slogans against Egypt's military rulers.

The European Union said it condemned the violence "in the strongest terms".

There were also clashes in other cities including Alexandria, Suez and Aswan.

A total of 11 people were reportedly killed on Sunday and two on Saturday, according to medical sources. Health officials say as many as 900 have been injured, including at least 40 security personnel.

The demonstrators, some wearing gas masks, say they fear Egypt's interim military rulers are trying to retain their grip on power.

The violence comes a week before the country's first parliamentary elections since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

Armoured vehicles

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on the Egyptian authorities to cease violence against the protesters.

"I urge calm and restraint and condemn the use of violence in the strongest terms. There is no doubt that the transitional process is a difficult and challenging one," she said.

"I reiterate that the interim authorities and all parties concerned have the crucial task of listening to the people and protecting their democratic aspirations."

A second day of violence began on Sunday when stone-throwing protesters advanced from the square - focal point of February's uprising - towards the interior ministry.

Officers fired volleys of tear gas and drove the protesters back, before blocking the street leading to the ministry.

Armoured personnel carriers brought in reinforcements as the security forces tried to gain the upper hand.

Scores of soldiers and police poured into the square, beating protesters and dismantling a protest camp there.

But within an hour, protesters swarmed back into the square, usually one of Cairo's busiest traffic thoroughfares.

The BBC's Helena Merriman at the scene says the atmosphere is tense, with moments of calm punctuated by outbreaks of panic and running.

The edges of the square are thinning out but the road to the ministry of interior is full of protesters, she says.

In recent weeks protesters - mostly Islamists and young activists - have been holding demonstrations against a draft constitution that they say would allow the military to retain too much power after a new civilian government is elected.

They have repeatedly tried to gain a foothold in Tahrir Square again, but until this weekend they had always been removed quickly by the police.

"The violence [on Saturday] showed us that Mubarak is still in power," one protester, Ahmed Hani, told the Associated Press news agency.

Protester Magdy Mohamed Ali: "If they think that the army personnel can bring us down then they are in for surprise"

He said the leader of Egypt's military government, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, should resign.

"We have a single demand: the marshal must step down and be replaced by a civilian council," he said.

The latest violence is some of the worst in months between the Egyptian authorities and demonstrators.

Parliamentary elections are due to begin on 28 November and take three months.

Earlier in November, Egypt's military rulers produced a draft document setting out principles for a new constitution.

Under those guidelines, the military would be exempted from civilian oversight, as would its budget.

This has angered protesters who fear the gains they have made during the uprising could yet slip away as the military tries to retain some grip on power.

Are you in Cairo? Did you witness the clashes? Send us your comments using the form below.

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Deadly clashes rock central Cairo

19 November 2011 Last updated at 19:08 ET

The BBC's Yolande Knell said protesters were angry about the power held by the military

At least one person has been killed and more than 600 wounded in fierce clashes between protesters and security forces in central Cairo.

The clashes came as police moved to prevent a long-term sit-in following a huge demonstration against the military leadership on Friday.

Some protesters lobbed rocks and a police vehicle was set on fire.

The latest violence comes just over a week before parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin.

Protesters - mostly Islamists and young activists - have been holding demonstrations against a draft constitution that they say would allow the military to retain too much power after a new civilian government is elected.

Witnesses said there were also demonstrations in Suez and Alexandria.

Rubber bullets

Correspondents say many Egyptians are frustrated at what they see as a reluctance by the ruling military council - who took power after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February - to carry out meaningful reforms.

The clashes began as police moved into the square to break up a sit-in

Saturday's violence began when police moved to dismantle tents erected by demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square who had camped out for the night.

The move to clear the square prompted thousands of protesters to return, and clashes erupted. Police fired rubber bullets as cars were set on fire, witnesses said.

The numbers of protesters swelled, reportedly after a call went out on social media for people to join the demonstration following the police assault.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called on the protesters to clear the square.

"What is happening in Tahrir is very dangerous and threatens the course of the nation and the revolution," a statement from the cabinet said.

Black smoke rose over the square after protesters swarmed over an armoured police van, turned it over and set it alight, reports said.

The state-run Mena news agency says more than 670 people were injured.

One of those wounded later died in hospital, the agency adds.

AFP quoted a security official as saying a number of arrests were made.

'Harsh beatings'

One of the demonstrators, Ali Abdel Aziz, said security forces beat up protesters to break up the sit-in on Saturday.

"They beat us harshly, they didn't care for either men or women," the 32-year-old accountancy professor told AFP news agency.

"The interior ministry must take responsibility. We have one demand, the military council must go," he said.

One prominent protester, Malek Mostafa, lost an eye after being hit by a rubber bullet, said Ghada Shahbender, a member of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.

"It is a crime," she told AP news agency. "They [police] were shooting rubber bullets directly at the heads... I heard an officer ordering his soldiers to aim for the head."

The interior ministry says a number of policemen were among the wounded.

In Alexandria, protester Ahmed Abdel-Qader told the Associated Press activists had thrown stones at the main security headquarters.

"We only managed to bring down the head of the regime [Hosni Mubarak]. The rest of the tree is still standing," he said.

Friday's demonstration, which saw tens of thousands fill Tahrir Square, was one of the largest for months.

Parliamentary elections are due to begin on 28 November and take three months.

Earlier this month, Egypt's military rulers produced a draft document setting out principles for a new constitution.

Under those guidelines, the military would be exempted from civilian overnight, as would its budget.

Are you in Cairo? Did you witness the clashes? Send us your comments using the form below.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

Continue Reading... Labels: Cairo, central, clashes, Deadly