CAIRO: Police say that a Muslim has been killed by a Christian in southern Egypt, sparking a sectarian clash, and the military has intervened to stop the violence.
The incident is not connected to the start of Egypt’s first parliamentary elections since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak nine months ago.
The director of security for the province of Sohag, Gen. Abdel al-Aziz al-Nahas, said the village of Al-Ghureizat was under a police and army cordon Monday night following the death of a Muslim earlier in a fight with his neighbor. The conflict was about the building of a wall.
Muslim villagers set fire to houses of Christians in a cycle of revenge that is common in Egypt’s south.