Egypt

Southern town turns into a battlefield as riots continue

Riots continued in the town of Gerga in Sohag Governorate on Tuesday, after a man died from injuries sustained in fighting between rival communities. The man was the third victim of recent clashes between groups of civilians in the southern town.

The clashes erupted at the weekend between Gerga residents and those of a neighboring village after a Tok-Tok driver ran into a glass shop front.

Eyewitnesses said the two parties pelted each other with Molotov cocktails and blocked the railways, causing train traffic to stop for more than nine hours. They also burned down the Gerga police station and stole 400 weapons from it, but returned them at the urging of the armed forces, which promised not to penalize them.

Government institutions closed down as employees feared going to work, and security forces put up 12 barricades to separate the town from the village. Security forces also used teargas to disperse the rioters.

Translated from the Arabic Edition

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