Egyptian government reaffirms warning to pro-Morsi demonstrators

A top Egyptian official reiterated Sunday that security forces could soon be called in to disperse supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, as weekend scuffles broke out in dueling protests across the country that left at least 80 dead and hundreds more injured in Egypt's worst day of violence since the July 3 military coup.

Speaking at the graduation of the national police academy, interim Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said that the government would "decisively deal with any attempt to undermine stability," reiterating a call he made to reporters Saturday.

Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, the leader of Egypt's armed forces and the country's defense minister who is seen as the Egypt's most powerful figure, was in attendance at the nationally televised speech in a show of public solidarity to the police. Ibrahim called Sisi "Egypt's devoted son."

Also on Sunday, according to the Associated Press, the military-installed interim president gave the prime minister the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Mohamed Morsi's supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Cairo, noted that Ibrahim's comments follow similarly tension-inducing events over the past week, beginning with the "popular mandate" given to the army to "fight terrorism."

"By association, the police also got the same mandate. We've already seen them cooperating on the ground, and we've already heard they will be cooperating together in the coming days," Al Jazeera's Hamid said.

Ibrahim's comments, and the president's move, come as more deadly clashes broke out around the country on Sunday, where two people were reportedly killed and scores injured during clashes after funerals for Morsi supporters.

The weekend bloodshed prompted both Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to speak out on Saturday, with Kerry saying Egyptian leaders should help their country "take a step back from the brink" while Hagel urged Sisi to use restraint in a telephone call. 

The protests Friday night were prompted by Sisi's call for supporters of Morsi's ouster to gather in the streets and provide the government with a mandate. They obliged and were met by pro-Morsi supporters, with hundreds of thousands in the streets in Cairo, and mass protests also in Alexandria and other cities.

"This is a pivotal moment for Egypt," Kerry said in his statement Saturday, which also called for the preservation of the right to free expression.

At least 80 people were killed in Cairo over the weekend according to the Health Ministry, and at least 792 more were injured across the country in violence that spread to other cities, including the coastal city Alexandria. 

An official at Cairo's main morgue, however, put the toll at 83 after 11 bodies arrived at the facility Sunday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press.

United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon warned Egypt's interim leadership on Sunday that every death in demonstrations is making it harder to drag the country out of its crisis, said U.N. spokeswoman Morana Song.

Ban spoke with Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Qatar and the head of the Arab League to highlight his "profound concern" over the worsening turmoil in Egypt.

The U.N.'s human rights chief Navi Pillay issued also condemned the violence.

In a Sunday statement, she said: "Despite all the warnings, all the calls for restraint, more than 150 Egyptians have died during protests over the past month, not just in Cairo but in other cities as well," she said.

"I fear for the future of Egypt if the military and other security forces, as well as some demonstrators, continue to take such a confrontational and aggressive approach. Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood have the right to protest peacefully like anyone else."

The weekend violence is the deadliest incident since Morsi was deposed by the army more than three weeks ago. On July 8, 53 people, mostly Morsi supporters, died when armed men opened fire close to a Republican Guard compound in the area.

Hundreds were wounded in the latest violence, medics said, warning that they could not cope with all the casualties.

Ibrahim said Saturday that security forces would act to ensure "the minimum losses possible."

He insisted that security forces wanted to "prevent bloodshed," and made reference to complaints he said had been made by residents of the areas where Morsi supporters are demonstrating.

"We hope that [the protesters] come to their senses and that they put an end to these protests in order to prevent bloodshed," he added.

He also denied police had opened fire, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of exaggerating for political ends.

Gehad El-Haddad, the Muslim Brotherhood spokesman, said the shooting started shortly before pre-dawn morning prayers on the fringes of the vigil being staged by backers of Morsi.

"They are not shooting to wound, they are shooting to kill," Haddad said, adding that the death toll could rise.

Egypt’s police chief said forces did not use live rounds in the deadly clashes in Cairo and blames the Muslim Brotherhood for the violence, AFP reported.

Thousands of supporters and opponents of the coup also took to the streets of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, sparking fierce clashes that killed seven people and wounded 194.

A group of people who were trapped by armed men in one of the city's main mosques have all been released.

The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, called for more protests in the Mediterranean port city.

April 6 youth movement, which participated in rallies that called for the removal of Morsi as president, condemned the killing of protesters and called for Interior Minister Ibrahim to resign.

Interim Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, who also participated in anti-Morsi rallies , "strongly" condemned the deaths in overnight unrest.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has "deeply deplored" the deaths and urged all sides to halt violence, the EU said on Saturday.

The bloodshed came as the military-backed interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim, warned a long-running sit-in in Cairo by Morsi loyalists would be ended "in the framework of the law".

There was little mention of the violence on Egypt's two state television channels, which broadcast weather reports and a talk show on Saturday morning.

LIVE BLOG: EGYPT