Egypt

Downtown Cairo quiet after minor clashes overnight

Calm has been restored to Tahrir Square and the area near the US embassy in downtown Cairo after skirmishes between security forces and young protesters late Tuesday.

A group of minors mounted the concrete barrier authorities had erected near the Shepheard Hotel and pelted security personnel stationed behind it with stones. The kids also reportedly lit fires on the Corniche, halting traffic. Police responded with occasional volleys of tear gas to disband the group.

Protesters continued their Tahrir sit-in Wednesday, with many staying in their tents to ward off the morning chill.

Some protesters partially opened the square to traffic. Metal barriers erected at the end of the Qasr al-Nil Bridge and on Falaky street have been taken down, while other entrances remain closed.

Tahrir Square and the area around the embassy have seen clashes between security and anti-government protesters since some political groups commemorated the second anniversary of the January 2011 revolution. The encounters in Cairo and other governorates left nearly 60 dead.

Edited translation from MENA

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