CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt said Tuesday it is closely following protests in the US town of Ferguson where troops have been deployed after racially charged unrest, echoing support for the right to hold peaceful demonstrations.

Egypt, which itself has been under international scrutiny for a deadly crackdown on protesters, is "closely following the escalation of protests in Ferguson and the reactions," foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty said in a statement.

Abdelatty pointed to a statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for restraint.

Ban's remarks "represented the position of the international community towards these events, especially (Ban's) call for restraint and the right to peaceful assembly," Abdelatty said.

Two people were shot and dozens arrested overnight Monday in Ferguson as protests continued to roil its streets more than a week after a killing of an unarmed black teen by a white policeman.

In Egypt, at least 1,400 people, mostly Islamist protesters, have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, including around 700 on a single day in Cairo in August 2013.

The violence was unleashed after the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi last year that also led to a spike in militant attacks in which scores of soldiers and policemen have been killed.