The Egyptian army has given politicians 48 hours to meet the demands of the people and resolve the ongoing political crisis in the African country.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a Monday statement that if political forces fail to agree to the popular demands, the military will offer its own road map to end the crisis.


“If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future,” said the statement by al-Sisi.

He further said the Egyptian people have expressed their will with “unprecedented” clarity in their nationwide protests, adding, “Wasting more time will lead only to more division ... which we have warned and continue to warn against.”

The military also said it will supervise the execution of its roadmap “with the participation of all factions and national parties, including young people.” However, al-Sisi rejected the army’s direct involvement in politics or government.

The military warning comes after the opposition set July 2 as a deadline for President Mohamed Morsi to step down.

“We give Mohamed Morsi until 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Tuesday, July 2, to leave power, allowing state institutions to prepare for early presidential elections,” said a Monday statement by Egypt’s opposition movement of Tamarod.

The massive protests on Sunday came on the first anniversary of Morsi’s inauguration as president following the 2011 revolution that toppled the Western-backed regime of Hosni Mubarak.

The demonstrators are angry at Morsi's handling of the economy and failure to fulfill his electoral promises.

HK