Three people have died during sectarian clashes in the Upper Egyptian village of El-Gharziyat, located in the Sohag governorate. The clashes began when a Muslim was killed in a fight after confronting his Christian neighbour over the construction of wall, an eyewitness told Ahram Online. In retaliation, family and friends of the dead man attacked Christian-owned shops and properties with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Two Christians died in the violence on Monday and tens of people, both Muslims and Christians, were injured. Soldiers and central security forces have been deployed to the village and the general prosecution in Sohag has started an investigation into the clashes. “The problem is the collective punishment – whenever one Christian does something wrong, the other Christians are punished,” Ramy Kamel of the Maspero Youth Coalition told Ahram Online.
