Egypt’s presidency said on Wednesday that diplomatic efforts to end the country’s political turmoil had failed and warned that the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted President Mohamed Mursi would be held responsible for the consequences. In a statement, interim President Adly Mansour’s office said the period of international efforts that began more than 10 days ago had “ended today”.

Photo: Reuters

Thousands of supporters of Mursi, who was toppled by the army on July 3, have been staging protest sit-ins in two areas of Cairo for the last five weeks to demand his reinstatement.

Egyptian authorities had warned they were losing patience with the sit-ins. The presidency’s declaration suggests security forces could soon use force to break up the gatherings, raising the prospect of more bloodshed. Almost 300 people have been killed in political violence since the overthrow, including 80 shot dead by security forces in a single incident on July 27.

Envoys from the United States, European Union, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been trying to defuse the crisis and prevent further bloodshed.