20110226
reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Soldiers used force on Saturday to break up a protest demanding more political change in Egypt in the toughest move yet against demonstrators who accused the country's military rulers of "betraying the people".

Protesters said the soldiers had moved against them after midnight, firing in the air and using sticks to break up the remnants of a demonstration urging the military to enact deeper reforms including a complete overhaul of the cabinet.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has been ruling Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak stepped down in the face of a mass uprising, apologised, said there had been no order to assault the protest and the incident was unintentional.

Protesters detained overnight would be released, it said, without stating how many of them there were. It said "infiltrators" had thrown bottles and rocks at soldiers.

"What happened last night was ... the result of unintentional altercations between the military police and the children of the revolution," the council said on a Facebook page that has become a main tool in its public relations effort.

Ashraf Omar, a demonstrator, said soldiers had used tasers and batons against the protesters. "I thought things would change. I wanted to give the government a chance but there is no hope with this regime," he said.

The military council has promised constitutional changes leading to free and fair elections within six months. The judicial council tasked with drafting the constitutional reforms is expected to announce its proposals soon.

As it manages domestic affairs for the first time in decades, the military also wants Egyptians to get back to work to revive an economy drained by weeks of turmoil unleashed by the mass uprising that toppled Mubarak on February 11.