Egypt’s ‘Days of Wrath’

The rebellion began when hundreds of thousands of Egyptians rallied in Cairo’s Tahrir Square several times, calling for Mubarak’s immediate ouster and free and fair elections.

What happened

A nascent revolution rolled across Egypt this week like a flood tide, as hundreds of thousands of protesters dominated Cairo’s main square, domestic and international support for President Hosni Mubarak eroded, and other autocrats in the region nervously offered concessions to their own angry populations. The White House scrambled to keep up with Egypt’s popular wave, issuing early words of support for Mubarak, but then calibrating its stance as the revolt intensified. Mubarak, 82, tried to appease the throngs calling for his resignation by pledging not to run for re-election in the fall, while President Obama pointedly stated that a democratic transition “must begin now.” Mubarak insisted he would not leave the country. “This is my homeland,” Mubarak said in a broadcast. “I will die on its soil.” That only intensified the revolt, and by midweek, protesters were repelling an attack by several thousand seemingly well-organized Mubarak supporters, some on horses and camels, which left hundreds injured.

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