Deadly protests in Egypt

CAIRO - At least five people were killed and hundreds were injured Friday as protests swept across Egypt over the Islamist-led government's failure to fix the besieged economy and heal the politically divided nation two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

The anniversary of the revolution that led to Mubarak's downfall was marked more by bloodshed than by joy, as familiar and troubling scenes played out amid the widening despair. Gunshots echoed through cities, rock-throwing youths lunged at police through clouds of tear gas, and peaceful demonstrators waved banners and shouted epithets against those in power.

Five antigovernment protesters were killed by unknown gunmen in the port city of Suez, according to state media. Unconfirmed reports from a private television station said nine people had died throughout the country. Nearly 400 people, including scores of police officers, were injured, with many of the wounded treated in mosques and alleys.

President Mohamed Morsi has been engulfed for months by anger from secularists, who contend that he and his Muslim Brotherhood party have turned increasingly authoritarian in a bid to advance an Islamist state at the expense of social justice. The protests were the latest reminder of the volatile politics and persistent mistrust that threaten Egypt's transition.

"Morsi is finished," said Tarik Salama, an activist. "A big part of the population hates him now. It's too late for him to turn around and say, 'Hey, guys, I love you.' He's in the same place as Mubarak was two years ago. Morsi's biggest problem is that he failed to unify the country. A lot of people voted for him, but he failed."

One banner raised in Cairo's Tahrir Square read, "Two years since the revolution, and Egypt still needs another revolution." Protest chants that harked back to the 18-day revolt that toppled Mubarak were now directed at Morsi: "Leave, leave."

The days ahead may prove more violent. Many of the youths clashing with police in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities are angry about an economy that offers little hope.

"These young men and kids have no jobs," said Salama, the activist. "The young in Egypt feel there is no future for them. This is the big danger."

Morsi has said his actions were an effort to root out Mubarak-era loyalists from the government and to propel the country toward parliamentary elections in the spring.

But his biggest problem perhaps is Egypt's troubled economy, which has lost more than half its foreign reserves and has worsened conditions for the almost 40 percent of Egyptians who live on $2 a day.