Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, amid nationwide riots,
has ordered the military to bolster its presence around the Suez Canal.

Officials said Morsi ordered the Defense Ministry and military to
protect the Suez Canal from anti-government rioters.

More than 50 people have been killed in clashes between the rioters and security forces in such cities as Alexandria, Cairo, Ismailiya, Port Said and Suez.

“The armed forces are securing the canal well,” Suez Canal Authority
president Diaa Mamish said.

Mamish said Egypt has assured foreign operators that their ships would be safe from anti-government forces. He said canal traffic was not hampered by the riots.

“We have normal traffic,” Mamish said on Jan. 27. “We have 44 ships
crossing from both directions, with a total cargo of 2.8 million tons.”

Officials said the Egyptian Army has deployed thousands of troops in and around Suez and Port Said to block access to the canal. They said additional troops were helping canal personnel in Ismailiya.

The worst of the violence has been in Ismailiya and Suez, officials
said. The latest round of clashes was sparked by the sentencing to death of
21 people in Port Said linked to killings during a soccer game in Port Said
in 2012.

  Alexandria, Ismailiya, Morsi deploys military to guard Suez Canal as riots spread, Port Said, soccer riot court ruling