Egypt's army chief warns of 'state collapse' amid crisis

Insideafrik
NEWS, EGYPT

Egypt's army chief has warned that the current political crisis "could lead to a collapse of the state".
General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, in comments posted on his Facebook page, said such a collapse could "threaten future generations".
He made his statement following a large military deployment in three cities along the Suez Canal where a state of emergency has been declared.
More than 50 people have died in days of protests and violence.
Overnight, thousands of people in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez - where some of the worst violence has been - ignored the curfew and temporary state of emergency to take to the streets.
Gen Sissi's lengthy statement appears to be a veiled threat to protesters and opposition forces as well as an appeal for calm and an attempt to reassure Egyptians about the role of the military, the BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says.
Veiled threat "The continuing conflict between political forces and their differences concerning the management of the country could lead to a collapse of the state and threaten future generations," Mr Sissi said.
The general, who is also Egypt's defence minister, made the comments in a speech to army cadets.
He said the economic, political and social challenges facing Egypt represented "a real threat to the security of Egypt and the cohesiveness of the Egyptian state".
He described the army as "the solid and cohesive block" on which the state rests.
Mr Sissi was appointed by President Morsi after the army handed over power to him following his election in June.
He replaced Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi who had been former President Hosni Mubarak's long-time defence minister and was in charge of the army following his fall from power in February 2011.
Rejected plea Thousands continued to protest after dark in the cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez on Monday, in spite of the curfew and temporary state of emergency imposed in an attempt to end the unrest.

They have been angered by death sentences handed down by a Port Said court on 21 local football fans involved in deadly riots at a football match in the city almost a year ago.

Protesters elsewhere have been marching in opposition to Mr Morsi's authority in the wake of the Egyptian revolution's second anniversary.
State TV said a total of 590 people had been injured in violence across Egypt on Monday alone, with most of them in Port Said.
Meanwhile, Mr Morsi's call for national dialogue has been rejected by his political opponents.
He had urged opposition leaders to attend a meeting on Sunday evening in an effort to calm the situation, but only Islamists already aligned with the president turned up.