Tensions remained high as the standoff between security forces and supporters of deposed President Muhammad Morsi continued. A group of supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood marched to the Interior Ministry, sparking violence that left one dead. A group of residents attacked the marchers, and security forces had to use teargas to disperse the crowd.
Some held out faint hope for a negotiated settlement, but that hope was diminishing rapidly on Tuesday. The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, attempted, over several days, to mediate a national reconciliation meeting, but the Brotherhood refused to attend. The Brotherhood does not see al-Tayyeb as a neutral figure after his support for Morsi’s removal from office, and there are longstanding policy differences between the groups. Despite the earlier failures, al-Tayyeb continued his efforts on Tuesday.
Interim President Adly Mansour swore in at least eighteen provincial governors, most of whom are retired generals. This was criticized by liberal groups as a step backwards toward the dictatorship of the Mubarak regime, as Morsi had appointed civilians to many of the governorships.
Security forces captured a group of militants who attacked “a police station, a border checkpoint, and a VIP cafeteria” in Arish using explosives. No injuries resulted. Capturing attackers has been a relatively rare event so far in the ongoing violence in the Sinai.