Cairo ( CNN ) -- Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Monday that clashes hours earlier between army forces and pro-Coptic Christian protesters had `` brought us back '' to the tense , violent period at the onset of the recent revolution . `` Instead of going forward , we found ourselves scrambling for security , '' Sharaf said on state television in an early morning speech , noting that the incident had produced `` martyrs , both civilian and from the military . '' The bloodshed in Cairo occurred just over a week after the burning of a Coptic Christian church in southern Egypt . The burning prompted the Sunday protest demanding equality and protection of Coptic places of worship . Dr. Sheriff Doss , the head of Egypt 's chief association of Coptics , said 17 civilians died and 40 were injured . An additional 12 army troops were killed and over 50 were injured , according to Lt. Col. Amr Imam , an army spokesman . Meanwhile , health ministry spokesman Adel Al Dawi said late Sunday that there were a total of 23 people dead and more than 180 injured . The protesters -- many of them Coptics or supportive of their cause -- said they had been marching peacefully toward the Egyptian state television building when the violence erupted . `` Suddenly , we were attacked by thugs carrying swords and clubs , '' one protester , Magdi Hanna , told CNN . According to Alla Mahmoud , an interior ministry spokesman , some protesters began `` firing live ammunition at the army . '' `` This is the first time protesters fired at the army , '' added Imam , the military spokesman . `` There must be a hidden hand behind this . Egyptians do n't do that . '' Mohammed Abdel Jabaar , a spokesman for the Egyptian Rebels Coalition that claims to have been part of the movement that led to former President Hosni Mubarak 's ouster , blamed `` interference from outside '' for spurring the violent chain of events . The January 25 youth revolution coalition , which has been involved in various anti-government protests including Sunday 's demonstration , denied that any participants shot at the Egyptian forces . Samir Bolos , one of the demonstrators , added Sunday that `` some unknown people may have fired at the army , but not us . '' Witnesses said the army forces fired on the protesters near the state television headquarters . Meanwhile , military trucks could be seen burning on the street . Hundreds of demonstrators also went to Tahrir Square , the hub of the revolutionary movement earlier this year , according to Bolos . He claimed military police stormed the square with sticks , while protesters fought back with rocks . A curfew has been imposed for between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday around Tahrir Square and central Cairo , said Imam . Egypt 's National Justice Committee also plans to hold an emergency meeting Monday involving representatives from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces , the al-Azhar mosque and the Coptic church to discuss the developments , prime ministry spokesman Mohamed Hegazy said . Those talks will be held in the prime minister 's building . Meanwhile , state TV reported Sunday night that Ahmed al-Tayyeb , a prominent Egyptian Muslim leader and grand imam of Al-Azhar , has been reaching out to Coptic church leaders in hopes of containing the crisis . The protests and clashes follow the September 30 burning of the Mar Girgis church in Edfu , a city in Aswan governorate in southern Egypt . That attack marked the latest of several examples in which Coptic Christians have been targeted in the North African nation . About 9 % of Egypt 's 80 million residents are Coptic Christians . They base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark , who introduced Christianity to Egypt , according to St. Takla Church in Alexandria , the capital of Coptic Christianity . The religion split with other Christians in the 5th century over the definition of the divinity of Jesus Christ . In Egypt , they have been targeted of late , including the New Year 's Day bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria that left 23 people dead . There have also been sectarian clashes , including one in Cairo on May 7 in which at least 12 people were killed . The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom , an independent bipartisan federal agency , earlier this year added Egypt to a list of countries named as the worst violators of religious freedom . Sunday 's incident also marks the latest skirmish between protesters and government forces . An incident last Tuesday outside a military court in Nasr City resulted in the arrests of two protesters . Journalists covering the demonstration were assaulted , according to witnesses . The same day , military police fired shots into the air to disperse about 400 pro-Coptic demonstrators who had attempted to stage a sit-in in front of the state television building after marching through the streets of Cairo .
NEW : National Justice Committee blames `` interference from outside '' for the violence . Egypt 's prime minister says the clashes `` brought us back , '' forces are `` scrambling '' The army says one troops died ; a Egypt leader says 17 civilians died ; one official says 12 total . An emergency meeting with army and Coptic leaders will be Sunday , an official says .