Egypt announces end of state of emergency and curfew

Please join The Joshua Fund in praying for the people of Egypt, for a cessation to the violence and a time of calm in the embattled country. We pray for our brothers and sisters who are in harm’s way, living disrupted and fearful lives, that our Lord would give them divine protection and renewed courage.   Thank you for standing prayerfully with all the people in the epicenter during this dangerous and critical time.

I cry out to the LORD with my voice; With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. Psalm 142:1

The Associated Press and Ynet News reported that Egypt’s government announced the end of a 3-month-old state of emergency Tuesday, two days earlier than planned, after a court ruled that the measure has expired.

Ending the state of emergency would mean the end of a nighttime curfew also in place since mid-August, measures aimed at helping authorities impose control amid protests by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Security officials have shown concern that its end could add fuel to the protests.

Under the crackdown, protests have mostly waned and have been reduced to small gatherings concentrated inside universities. On Tuesday, police forces entered Mansoura University, in the Nile Delta, after clashes erupted on the campus between Morsi supporters and other students.

 Fearing return of mass demonstrations, the military-backed interim government is working on a controversial new law that would restrict the right to protest by forcing organizers to seek a permit to hold any gathering – something authorities can deny if they see it threatening public order. Violators risk jail terms and heavy fines.

Read the Ynet News article, November 12, 2013