Updated

Egypt's defence minister warned on Sunday that the army will intervene if violence breaks out in the country where opponents of President Mohamed Morsi are planning rallies against him this month.

"The armed forces have the obligation to intervene to stop Egypt from plunging into a dark tunnel of conflict and infighting," Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on the eve of the first anniversary of Morsi's election as opposition leaders clamoured for his resignation.

Morsi's opponents, who accuse him of hijacking the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime, plan a rally on June 30 to mark the day Morsi was sworn in as Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.