I am continuing my coverage from yesterday. What we know as of 1:00 PM EST:
This is no longer a protest. It is a revolution.
In Egypt, people will continue to be on the streets until Mubarak leaves the country. Al Jazeera reports that there are more people on the streets today than their were yesterday. In some parts of the country there are still scenes of amity between the military and the revolutionaries. In Cairo, there are pictures of torched tanks.
No one can stop this now, not without making an enemy of the world.
There are protests in Yemen and Jordan. Unrest in both nations is growing, Al Jazeera reports. The Yemeni protesters are wearing pink to symbolize nonviolence.
China, Syria, and Iran are all blocking information on the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, as well as the growing unrest in Yemen and Jordan. Iran has executed two activists publicly.
Please recommend the Mothership diary.
El Baradei has spoken, updates on that soon. I will continue to monitor news sources as well as twitter, Arabic news sites, and the Anonymous command center.
I will update on the causes of the revolution as well.
Current updates:
In Yemen protesters are calling for the end of Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime. They have promised that protests will not end until his regime falls. There are tens of thousands of people in the streets, and AJ reports that their numbers are growing.
In Jordan AJ reports:
Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan's largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.
Yesterday was the third consecutive Friday of Protests, and they are also growing. This is the first time that the Muslim Brotherhood has supported the Jordanian protests, which till now have consisted of left wing groups such as trade unions and small business owners. They are demanding that Samir Rifai, the prime minister, step down.
Egypt:
Omar Suleiman is the first Egyptian Vice president in 30 years. After his ascension was announced, protesters swarmed the ministry of the Interior. There were several deaths.
Early reports say that the army was NOT involved.
There have been unconfirmed reports of violence between the Army and the protesters, but it may be that these military units were the Presidential Guard, under the direct control of Mubarak himself.
We still do not know who is in control of the Egyptian military. Perhaps the Military itself doesn't know.
If that is the case, it is only a matter of time before Mubarak is ousted. No updates from the French news website on reports that the military intended to oust Mubarak last night.
The only active internet service is the Noor network that supports the Egyptian Stock Exchange. Cellular networks are still down, the only cellular services active are through satellite.
NDP Headquarters in Cairo are still burning, but the museum of Antiquities has not been damaged, and is being protected by the military. It contains the iconic mask of King Tut.
The curfew has been extended well into tomorrow.
We're seeing incredible pictures.
Even the army can't stop the revolution now. But they can save Egypt by siding with the people.
The people are no longer afraid of the government. It is the government now that is afraid of the people.
This is exactly what happened to the Warsaw pact.
Update Cairo Museum:
Looting began last night, there were two mummies damaged, but Revolutionaries stopped the looting, and held position until the military could secure the facility.
Just In: MILITARY warns that armed thugs are moving around the country looting and setting fires.
They have asked protesters to either respect the curfew, or aid the military in keeping order, in order to "Keep your honor, and help us protect our beloved egypt."
"In the day, I will take off my uniform and join you in the streets, but at night, please clear the streets and let us deal with these thugs."
The military is Egypt's current police force. There is no police presence reported anywhere, not since the storming of the interior ministry.
Likely the clashes between military and protesters last night occurred because of looting.
Update on the Cause
The reasons for this revolution are two fold. First, there are the younger generations who are angry because they have literally no control over their day to day lives. As facebook and social media expanded, the youth of the Arab world had been exposed to the youth of the free world.
Added to this normal level of frustration is the fact that because of the global economy, there are highly educated young people who have studied in Britain, America, and Europe who are unable to find any employment in their native countries at all. The anxiety about immigration in Europe and the United states, as well as hostility towards Muslims, has seen many of these educated people unable to stay in the nations where they earned degrees. Even those who
Finally, even those who have been educated at the local level, or those who have had work for years, all of whom who have either lost their jobs or been unable to find work.
The combination of the exposure to western thought and ideas, a poor economy, the growth of capitalism, the lack of political justice or equality, and the oppressiveness of these regimes has created a perfect storm.
Many of these youth speak English, and speak it well. There have been a number of interviews.
Update El Baradei has said that the US is losing credibility when it supports oppressive regimes for the sake of stability.
AJ reports looting going on in Cairo now.
Updated Revolutionaries defying curfew. Regime says looters are muslim brotherhood. Revolutionaries say looters are police. Military says they don't care who it is, they're going to stop it. Revolutionaries vowing to protect people from looters.
Confirmed: Revolutionaries are preventing looting with force when necessary.
Rumor: Suleiman, new vice president, may push for a transition to democracy.
Maajid Nawaz tells Muslim brotherhood to stay in the background:
"This is not your revolution. You want to stay in the background. You want to let the young people have their moment."
Al Jazeera: people taking refuge from thugs and looters in Tahrir Square. Regime collapsing. Tents, campfires being set up.
AJ reports ongoing clashes going on at Ministry of the Interior.
Tourists: Brits complaining about not seeing the Pyramids on Al Jazeera. 30,000 Britons reportedly are in Egypt right now. Revolutionaries
Tourists have been walking around Cairo today, reporting that they have felt safe. No reports of tourists being harmed.
Mass demonstrations outside of embassies in London, Washington, New York, Paris. There were protesters at the federal courthouse in Abingdon, Virginia, demanding that the federal government stop supporting the Mubarak Regime.
Egyptians forming local militias to defend their neighborhoods. An engineer reports that there is a fertilizer factory which stores liquid ammonia and nitric acid has been set on fire by looters. Engineer warns AJ that if the fire isn't put out, a massive explosion will engulf several square kilometers.
Multiple Unconfirmed Reports that the looting is ordered by Mubarak, and is being carried out by state police in plain clothes.
The intent is to tar the Revolution and force military involvement.
Confirmed Police fired live ammunition yesterday.
Update Regime claims that those shot dead were looters. Hospitals report that children are among those killed by police bullets. Confirmed Reports from some areas outside of Cairo say that police bypassed tear gas and batons, instead opening fire on crowds as a first act.
Multiple Reports including live interviews show that this is a revolution for a modified "western style" democracy. A significant number of these students have been educated in Europe and America. This, combined with joblessness and exposure to western liberty over the internet and while travelling, has created a significant desire for democratic change.
Update CONFIRMED Looters carrying government issued weapons. Likely plainclothes police. Al Jazeera reporting.
Citizens forming citizen's watch. Cooperating with the military, and forming stop-and-search checkpoints. This is what discovered those police weapons on plainclothes looters.
This is now confirmed as a false-flag operation, and an attempt by Mubarak to force the military to act.
Nasser City, Cairo Main roads controlled by army, side streets, neighborhoods unsecured. Local people setting up roadblocks.
Confirmed, AJ State Security performing terror attacks, drive by shootings.
The military has arrested a number of criminals involved in lootings. Reportedly, state police are not looting, but are involved in terror attacks. There are criminals using the revolution as cover.
Amazing: CIA Data shows that inequality In The US is worse than inequality in Egypt, Tunisia, or Yemen.
Absolutely astounding.
Breaking News Tweet from Al Jazeera:
AymanM 6,000 prisoners escape from #Abu Zaabel prison #egypt #jan25 (via phone)
3 minutes ago · reply
More updates soon.
Current Situation
The only movement we've seen in the past few hours are in tweets from Al Jazeera reporter Ayman Mohyeldin
6,000 prisoners escape from #Abu Zaabel prison #egypt #jan25 (via phone)
less than a minute ago via web
#egypt neighbrhd watch committees continue protecting streets admid lootings of stores & homes. Heightened state of alert #jan25 (via phone)
33 minutes ago via web
shift of mood from celebratory 2 tense as night fell &absence of security on streets created problem 4 law & order #egypt #jan25 (viaphone)
about 2 hours ago via web
#egypt prison of 1000 stormed by ppl trying 2 free prisoners, high rankng prisonguard killed #jan25 (via phone)
about 2 hours ago via web
Dawn will come to Cairo in a few hours. I will be updating this blog into the late hours as events play out. It's unclear at this point if Mubarak's terror tactics: having police forces attack innocents, will combine with looting to turn popular opinion against the protesters.
I seriously doubt that Mubarak will last, in any case.
The longer he holds on, the more damage he does to his own people. This looting would not be happening if he'd stepped down, or if the army had ousted him.
The situation is incredibly tense. Something has to break.
Update on Museum of Antiquities there are images of damage that occurred during purported looting. But this doesn't look like looting to me. It looks like sabotage.
Islamists in Afghanistan detonated 1700 year old Buddhist statues a few years ago.
Is this looting? Or is it intentional?
Is it another ploy from Mubarak, in an attempt to horrify the Egyptian people? Is it an act by Radical Islamists attempting to destroy their nation's pagan history? Is simply looting in a country wracked by horrific poverty?
cotterperson reminds us of an important fact from earlier this evening: A number of looters and thugs captured in Egyptian cities by both the military and ad hoc neighborhood militia have possessed State Police identification and weapons.
Al Arabia reports 19 private jets of wealthy Egyptians have left Cairo. The wealthy, those with the means to flee, are fleeing.
Al Arabia now reporting unrest in Algeria. 10,000 people marched today.
A march to demand the “departure of the regime” is scheduled on February 12 in the capital Algiers and will be organized by new national Coordination for Change and Democracy, which includes opposition movements and civil society groups.
Al Jazeera now reporting that the Muslim Brotherhood does not have the support necessary to win a national election. While they are the largest organized opposition group, they represent nowhere near the majority that would be needed to govern. Because of the population of both Christians and Liberal Muslims, the only way that an Islamist government could form would be because of a dictatorship brought on by a military coup. Considering that the Egyptian military is not friendly to the Muslim Brotherhood, this is incredibly unlikely.
If the revolution is successful, Egypt will be democratic. Egypt is the most populous nation in the Arab world. Many people, from MSNBC, to CNN, to even one reporter on Fox the other day (who was warning of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover), have argued that where Egypt goes, the rest of the Arab world will eventually follow.
* * * * *
BREAKING! There are now reports from Sudanese media that there are mass demostrations planned in SUDAN! Sudanese youth now have copies of the leaflets distributed in Cairo!
This comes as south Sudan is expected to announce the results from its independence referendum!
Nearly 14,500 say they will attend Sudan protests today according to Facebook event. Over 99,000 yet to reply to invitation.
* * * * *
Limelight provides some great information on Algerian protests.
Sultan Sood Al Qassemi tweets:
There is a striking difference between Al Arabiya's coverage before & after the Saudi King announced support for Mubarak. It has been tamed.
Cairo: Dawn in one hour. (11:47, EST) I will continue updating until 12:00 AM PST, 4:00 AM EST What will a new day bring?
The Sun is Rising in Egypt
Expected today: Uprisings, protests expected in Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, with possible expanding unrest in Algeria Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Confirmed, Sudanese Media reporting that Sudanese youth are now attempting to follow Egypt and Tunisia.
Sudan since the announcement that protests will take place today, sudan has begun censoring the internet, blocking TinyURL.com to prevent tweeted links from being shared.
Has Al Jazeera sold out? Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, have both asked Al Jazeera not to air any footage of the unrest in Yemen, reports Maktoob.com
UpdateRevolutionaries, Communities, and Military working together to stop looting.
Confirmed Protests in Saudi Arabia!
Update, Brought to you by Valadon
What was said by a Saudi Prince a few months ago:
Saudi Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has warned the country's royal family to step down and flee before a military coup or a popular uprising overthrows the kingdom.
In a letter published by Wagze news agency on Tuesday, the Cairo-based prince warned Saudi Arabia's ruling family of a fate similar to that of Iraq's executed dictator Saddam Hussein and the ousted Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, calling on them to escape before people "cut off our heads in streets."
He warned that the Saudi royal family is no longer able to "impose" itself on people, arguing that deviations in carrying out the religious concepts that make up the basis of the Saudi government "have gotten out of our hands," so that the opposition views our acts as "interfering in people's private life and restricting their liberties."
Link.
Will his words prove prophetic?
Update Revolutionaries are pressing in on the Ministry of the Interior again.
Army is turning traffic around, directing them away from Tahrir square.
Al Jazeera Reports That south sudan has voted for secession. Reports of Sudanese troops on the region's border. Protests expected in the Northern Capitol, Khartoum.
Egyptian Military building barricades in Cairo.
Sudanese Police Preparing for protests.
January 29, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese police announced today that it has put its members on high alert ahead of an announcement by the South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) on the results of the independence vote that took place this month
The spokesperson of the Sudanese police General Ahmed Imam Al-Tuhami was quoted by pro-government Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website as saying that the authorities will not allow any activities that lead to chaos.
He said that police is prepared to confront any actions that would disturb the peace stressing that the law will be applied especially relating to getting permits before staging any demonstrations.
Link.
Has Mubarak Regained Control of the Military? They are setting up roadblocks on the roads entering into downtown Cairo.
Al Jazeera tweets:
nolanjazeera LOT more army on streets today. Roadblocks on traffic on Gala St. More tension btw soldiers/civilians. Situation feels different now #Jan25
Military Presence in Sinai! Violation of Camp David Accords. No military is allowed to enter the Sinai Peninsula! Bedouin still control the countryside.
Sharm el Sheikh Al Jazeera reports rumors that Mubarak has taken refuge in this resort town. Military force present in this Sinai town in violation of the Camp David Accords.
Sultan Al Qassemi
German Press Agency: Fires erupt in Sharm El Sheikh market & reports of looting & ransacking, also Haaretz reports that Mubarak is there.
I am signing off.
Current Situation.
Tunisia New, democratic, government being born.
Egypt Largest Arab nation seeing ongoing revolution. Large military presence on the streets of Cairo. Mubarak reported in Sinai.
Jordan Protests ongoing, no sign of protests yet today.
Yemen Revolution? Protesters have promised not to stop until the current regime is brought down.
Sudan Protest planned for later today. South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for independence. Police in Khartoum preparing for spread of the Arab revolution.
Saudi Arabia Protests in Jeddah yesterday. Will they continue today?
Algeria Protests occurred yesterday, and may continue today.
Kuwait Government promises free food and $3,500 a month for every citizen for the next few months.
Pan Arab Revolution ongoing.