Opponents of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi plan to stage a demonstration in Cairo Friday evening, after thousands of the Islamist figure’s supporters staged rallies during the day:

Crowds in Nasr City were chanting anti-military slogans, calling Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, the country’s army chief, a traitor for removing of Morsi from office last week. Thousands of people were bussed in from outside the capital to join the sit-in at Rabaa El Adaweiya Mosque on Friday. Earlier in the day, the pro-Morsi camp announced a march to the presidential palace, but their path was blocked by the militray, so the march was diverted back to Rabaa. Smaller rallies were also expected to take place in other governorates.

Tensions in the Egyptian capital have been running high as the army seeks to stabilize unrest that began in late June, when millions of anti-government protesters flooded Egypt’s streets demanding Morsi’s removal. The military subsequently relieved him of power, triggering violent demonstrations in public areas and outside army installations. More than 50 people were killed earlier this week in a protest outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo, where it is rumored that Morsi is being kept, after demonstrators tried to storm the compound. Interviews at the time, including from Brotherhood witnesses, indicated that the army did not use live fire against the crowd, and later-released video footage showed Islamist militants mixing with the crowd and attacking army and police personnel.

The Brotherhood has thus far rejected reconciliation efforts by Cairo’s interim government and has vowed to continue protests until Morsi is reinstated.

The stance is complicating efforts to politically stabilize the country:

“Everybody is requested to join this political process,” Badr Abdelatty, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters yesterday. Those involved in violence are being dealt with “within the existing judicial system, nothing more, nothing less, nothing extraordinary,” he said. Complicating El-Beblawi’s task is the Brotherhood’s refusal to participate in talks. The group rejects the opposition’s argument that the military intervened in response to mass protests fueled by complaints that Mursi hijacked the democratic process to try to impose an Islamist agenda and monopolize power.

[Photo: AFP / Youtube]