CAIRO: Ahead of planned nationwide strikes and a campaign of civil disobedience in Egypt, the country's ruling military junta said it would deploy tanks and soldiers across the country in an effort to secure and maintain peace. The move is being met with widespread criticism as it is largely seen as a warning to activists planning the campaign, which already has seen over 120 labor groups and movements announce their participation of the walkout on Saturday. The campaign aims to quicken the transition from military rule to civilian rule in the country. When the military took power on February 11, 2011, it said it would remain in power for only 6 months, but now as the one year anniversary of their power grab nears, Egyptians are becoming more forceful in their calls for transition. The civil disobedience campaign arose during the recent clashes between activists, football fans and security forces this past week following a massacre of at least 75 people at a football match in Port Said. The ruling military council issued a statement saying it would send patrols across the country to “maintain the security … of public, private and state buildings.” The country's Islamic institutions, including al-Azhar – the Sunni world's most prestigious institution – have called the planned strike “destructive” and “un-Islamic,” but activists are not backing down. Salam Amr, a 27-year-old marketing assistant in Cairo, told Bikyamasr.com that he has been asked to work on Saturday, but plans not to go to the office. “I think we have had enough violence, enough death and the military is responsible, so I am going to join the protest and strike,” he said. With the military announcing a massive presence of tanks and weaponry for Saturday, there are worries that the civil disobedience campaign could quickly devolve into more clashes in the country. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/DbZFh Tags: featured, SCAF, Soldiers, Strike, Tanks Section: Egypt, Latest News
