The Egyptian authorities say they've charged two farmers with the murder of eight Coptic Christians who were killed during sectarian clashes in the southern village of al-Kosheh last Sunday.

The two -- the first to be charged with murder -- were identified by a Christian who survived after being shot.

Dozens of arrests have been made following the violence, in which more than twenty people died -- all but one of them Christian.

Homes and shops were looted and burned.

An Egyptian human rights group has accused the security forces of doing nothing to stop the violence despite being present in al-Kosheh in large numbers. The government has promised that those responsible for the violence will be brought to justice.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service