CAIRO: Police questioned 87 Egyptians Sunday who were detained after clashes with security while protesting bread shortages in the north of the country, a security official said.
Thousands of demonstrators fought with police Saturday after protesting a decision by local authorities to end direct distribution of flour rations in the Mediterranean coastal town of Borollos.
Thousands of rioters sealed off the International Road in Kafr El-Sheikh for at least seven hours. Police fired tear gas and arrested dozens to disperse the crowd.
The protesters were angered by authorities’ decision to end direct distribution of subsidized flour rations in favor of only supplying bakeries with the flour.
Fishermen in Borollos prefer to take the flour and bake their own style of bread suited to long fishing voyages rather than buy the standard subsidized bread from the bakery.
There have also been accusations that people are selling the subsidized flour on the black market for a profit, leading to shortages.
