Egyptian President leaves Cairo as Millions of Egyptians march in cities around country to demand he step down
A few hours after embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak disappointed his nation by refusing to abide by their demands and step down, press reports said that he flew out of Cairo to his Red Sea retreat as more than a million furious Egyptians marched in cities around the country to demand he resign.
LEAVE! LEAVE!
Demonstrators sobbed on Friday as they conducted the weekly Muslim prayer in massed ranks in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the city plaza that has become a symbol and focal point of the revolt since it was occupied by protesters in late January.
The preacher choked with emotion as he gave the sermon and the crowd screamed "Leave! Leave!" at each mention of the president.
"Revolution, revolution, until victory! Revolution all over Egypt," hundreds of thousands of protesters chanted in Tahrir.
MUBARAK LEAVES... CAIRO
Meanwhile, Mubarak and his family had left Cairo for the glitzy Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where there is a presidential residence, a ruling party official said, adding that this proved that power had been handed to Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman.
Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) confirmed he had flown to Sharm el-Sheikh, on Egypt's Red Sea Coast, where he has a holiday home, but this did nothing to quell the anger of the crowds thronging the streets of the capital.
"People here don't care if he's in the palace or not. We want him to quit the presidency," said 40-year-old Mohammed Hamdan, who works for an oil firm, as he joined the protest outside Mubarak's palace in the Cairo suburbs. "He has to leave the country, our demands are clear, we want the entire NDP to be dissolved and to get out because they have destroyed the country," said Magdi Sabri, a smartly dressed middle-aged man outside state television.
In a related development, at least two helicopters took off from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, witnesses said.
ARMY BACKS REFORM
In a statement read out on state television a little earlier, the military said it would guarantee that Mubarak follows through with his promises to reform the constitution to ensure a fair presidential poll in September.
The army also said it was committed to "safeguarding the legitimate demands of the people and will work to implement them... for a peaceful transition of power and a free democratic society."
Outside the presidential palace, protesters reacted furiously to the military's announcement, which was read to the crowd by a colonel. The protesters had wanted the army to go much further and unseat the 82-year-old autocrat, who has ceded unspecified powers to his vice president but refuses to quit despite weeks of demonstrations against his 30-year rule.
"This is not our demand," one protester said, after relaying the contents of the army statement to the crowd in Cairo's central Tahrir Square. "We have one demand that Mubarak step down."
Another demonstrator grabbed his microphone to berate the military. "You have disappointed us, all our hopes rested in you," he shouted, as the crowd began to chant slogans calling for Mubarak to be put on trial. "No, no, this is not a coup," the colonel protested, insisting that the army would not take power itself.
SHOW OF SOLIDARITY
In a show of solidarity in at least lower levels of the army, three Egyptian officers shed their weapons and uniforms and joined the protesters.
An impassioned preacher addressed the military in his sermon, exhorting them to "act in a way that will be acceptable to God on judgment day," shortly before fainting and being carried away through the crowd.
On Thursday night, hundreds of thousands had crowded into Tahrir Square to hear a speech that was widely expected to be Mubarak's last as president. Instead, he delegated some of his powers to his ally and Egypt's former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, while vowing he would stay in office until September and one day die in Egypt, ruling out a flight into exile.
