Egypt has re-opened the Rabaa Al-Adawiya area for traffic for the first time since a major protest camp there in support of toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was violently dispersed in mid-August.While the Rabaa Al-Adawiya area, located in northeast Cairo, was partially open to traffic over the past months, parts remained sealed off by barriers amid tight security.
The measure is expected to bring traffic flow back to normal in the Nasr City district, interior minister assistant for Cairo traffic Hassan El-Bardeesy said.
Following Morsi's ouster in July, Islamist supporters began two major sit-ins calling for his return to power. Security forces forcibly dispersed the sit-ins on 14 August, leaving hundreds dead.
The dispersal unleashed days of violent street tumult, prompting a state of emergency to be imposed across the country, scheduled to end on Thursday.
More than 1,000 people, mostly Islamists, have been killed since the military overthrew Morsi on 3 July amid mass protests against his rule. Upwards of 100 security personnel have also died in the violence.
Thousands of Islamists have been rounded up in the crackdown, including senior members of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, which is facing one of the fiercest suppression campaign in its 85-year history.
The former president is facing criminal charges, including incitement to murder. Following his first appearance in court on 4 November, Morsi was transferred to a heavily fortified prison near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
