Hundreds of citizens in several Upper Egyptian cities in Assiut Governorate blocked the agricultural road and the railway line on Monday to protest a lack of bread and butane cylinders.
The governorate’s operations room received several complaints that the Cairo-Assiut agricultural road in Dayrout Township had been blocked. Meanwhile, dozens of citizens in Om al-Qusoor Village in Manfalout Township organized a protest on the railway line.
Dozens of citizens also gathered outside a butane gas cylinder warehouse in the Safa Industrial City, cutting off the West Road. Meanwhile, residents of Abuteeg Township blocked the road leading to the City Council to protest a shortage of butane cylinders and bread. Residents also blocked the agricultural road.
"The residents resorted to blocking the road following their repeated complaints regarding the lack of butane cylinders and bread which were met with no response,” said Protester Khedr Mohamed to Egypt Independent in a phone call. "All we want is for the basic needs of people to be provided. These are not labor strikes."
State-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that Assiut Governor Sayed al-Borai headed to the butane cylinder plant to discuss the crisis with the company’s management in an attempt to provide additional supplies.
Last month, several governorates suffered a major crisis due to the lack of butane cylinders, a shortage which led to at least two people being killed in fights among residents.
Violence erupted in Assiut last week between angry Muslims and a Coptic student named Gamal Masoud after he published offensive drawings depicting the Prophet Mohamed on his Facebook page. On Monday, the prosecution remanded Masoud for 15 days.
After news of the drawings spread, sectarian violence erupted in the Bahig, Adr, Salam and Menqebad villages where at least six houses belonging to Copts were lit on fire. Angry Muslims threw stones at security forces, leading to the light injury of seven policemen, who were taken to the Assiut Police hospital.
On Monday, the Assiut governor visited a number of Coptic homes to reassure them. He commended students from the Menqebad Secondary School, the school Masoud attends, for their brave attempts to encourage their colleagues to attend school after students failed to show up due to fears.
