Egypt: dozens die, the cabinet teeters – and chaos rules
The Egyptian cabinet offered its resignation last night as deadly riots, which once again have turned parts of central Cairo into a battlefield, continued into the evening, threatening the viability of next week's landmark elections and leaving at least 33 people dead. Stone-throwing youths faced down riot police outside the American University of Cairo near Tahrir Square, as hundreds of protesters shouted chants calling for the downfall of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's de facto leader.
As midnight approached last night, around 20,000 people packed Tahrir Square, and thousands more milled around in surrounding streets. The protesters won at least a partial victory after the civilian cabinet offered to resign, which followed the exit of Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi. A group of diplomats issued a statement condemning the way the latest protests have been handled.
In a late-night statement, the ruling military council urged calm and called for crisis talks with political forces to find a way forward, but did not say whether it would accept the resignation of the cabinet, tendered on Sunday. The council voiced its "deep regret for the victims in these painful incidents", state news agency Mena said.
Last night's trouble came after hours of bloody confrontations, which continued throughout the early hours of yesterday morning. Volunteer doctors working in makeshift field hospitals close to Tahrir Square struggled to cope as hundreds of badly injured activists were rushed back from the front lines...
See also: Mubarak was nothing compared to the military: I came here because nothing has been achieved. If anything things have got worse – Hosni Mubarak was nothing compared to the military council. People have been dragged to military prosecutions, people are still being tortured. There was the news some months ago that the military had carried out virginity tests on women. People are given no rights whatsoever, education and healthcare is terrible.
All the problems from the first demonstrations are still here – we don't feel free and we don't feel anything has changed. I don't think the military is going anywhere. They own five-star hotels in Egypt, build roads and bridges here. Why would they let it all go? They will fight until their last breath.
They are killing us in a way that not even Hosni Mubarak did. The violence here in Tahrir Square has been going on for three days now. I have seen a video of the army throwing bodies in the rubbish like we're not worth anything. I was on a street just outside the square when the military attacked on Sunday. But I could see the army burning tents and dispersing people violently with tear gas. I don't understand why they did it. It is just unbelievable..
