Protests continued for the fifth day as Egyptian police and soldiers fired teargas into the crowds in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Heavy gunfire could be heard as armed security forces charged hundreds of protesters calling for an end to the military rule currently in place.

It is thought that 13 people have been killed since 16 December and many more have been injured. Images of women being brutally beaten by soldiers have shocked the world and enraged many Egyptians, who took to the streets on 20 December to protest at the way female demonstrators have been treated by security forces. An army general told a news conference that “evil forces” wanted to cause chaos.

UK-based Amnesty International has called on arms suppliers to stop sending ammunition and small arms to Egypt’s military and security forces.