Egypt Deaths Call for Action

The resignation of Egypt’s Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei was a clear indictment of the precipitous military and police action that has taken place and the declaration of a state of emergency.

It is clear that this is one of the very few times in Egyptian history that such a division of the populace has occurred. 

The Egyptian people are not accustomed to what can be described as symptoms of a forthcoming civil war. That is why it is crucial at this moment for international and Arab efforts expedite a process of immediate humanitarian intervention and exercise diplomatic influence so that this polarization does not lead to what has been avoided for so many centuries.

That said, this constitutes only a preliminary assessment.

It is unfortunate that there was no clear consensus among the supporters of the present government because it looks like the Tamarod movement was severely critical of ElBaradei’s resignation. Let us hope that the killings that have taken place will awaken the collective conscience of the political establishment and the political opposition to expedite a process of reconciliation along the line of the Al-Azhar initiative. 

Clovis Maksoud is a former ambassador and permanent observer of the League of Arab States at the United Nations and its chief representative in the United States for more than 10 years.