| it’s been a tumultuous year, with history still in the making. |
| By ET staff |
| 1 An unidentified suicide bomber blows himself up in front of the El-Qeddissine (Two Saints) Church in Alexandria. The blast, which occurs as worshipers are making their way out following a New Year’s Eve prayer service, leaves 21 people dead and 70 injured.Thousands of Christians subsequently take to the streets to participate in demonstrations in Cairo, Alexandria and Minya with police forces continuing to crack down on protesters. Three Egyptians set fire to themselves, apparently inspired by an act of self-immolation in Tunisia that prompted protests leading to the ousting of Tunisian President Ben Ali. The National Democratic Party (NDP) announces it will soon issue a law that specifically addresses the building of churches. The proposed legislation is set to replace the 1856 law that stipulates presidential approval for the building of a new church. 25 Thousands of Egyptians from all social classes take to the streets to demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, marking the beginning of the revolution in Egypt. As the crowds march in downtown Cairo — heading toward the offices of the ruling NDP as well as the foreign ministry and television building — similar protests are reported in other governorates across the country. Social media, Facebook in particular, reportedly plays an important role in mobilizing the demonstrators. Clashes continue for a second day between anti-government demonstrators and security forces. Police use tear gas, water cannons and batons to disperse protesters in Cairo. Witnesses allege that live ammunition is also fired into the air. Bloody clashes occur in Suez for a second day. Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the UN nuclear watchdog and a democracy advocate, arrives in Egypt to join the protests. A Bedouin demonstrator is shot dead in protests in the Sinai region, bringing the overall death toll from the uprising to seven. Protests continue across several cities, with hundreds being arrested. Protesters say they will not give up until their demands are met. Egypt suffers the second biggest blow since October 2008’s global economic crisis as the benchmark index EGX30 plummets 10.5 percent. Many foreign investors sell their stocks due to the political instability, resulting in LE 29 billion in losses. 28 Dubbed the Friday of Anger, a wave of protests engulfs the country after Friday prayers. Internet and mobile phone text message users in Egypt report major disruption to services as authorities attempt to stifle the growing uprising. More than 24 people are killed and at least 1,000 are injured after clashes with the police. At the end of a day of heavy fighting, police forces systematically withdraw from the cities. A curfew is announced, and troops and tanks are deployed to Cairo, Suez and Alexandria overnight. The nation lives through a night of terror as police forces continue their withdrawal from the streets. Prison gates are allegedly left open for inmates to escape and reports abound of looting, break-ins and petty crime across the capital. Neighborhood watches are set up to protect the streets, while additional tanks and troops are deployed to guard properties as well as landmarks such as the Egyptian Museum. In a state of panic, people rush to stock up on food and gas supplies and a strict curfew is imposed. Three days into the uprising, demand for the US dollar skyrockets. Its purchase price reaches LE 5.84, and the selling price stabilizes at LE 5.86, the highest it has been in six years. Attempting to placate the nation, Mubarak announces he has dismissed the Cabinet but refuses to step down. Thousands of anti-government protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square stay put despite troops firing into the air to disperse them. Former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is appointed Mubarak’s vice president. It is the first time Mubarak has appointed a deputy in his three decades in power. Despite massive crowds remaining in the nation’s major squares the previous day, Mubarak still refuses to resign. He names his new Cabinet on state television as protesters continue to defy the military-imposed curfew. Some 250,000 people gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and hundreds march through Alexandria. Internet access is still disrupted in the country, and all coverage or online discussions pertaining to Egypt and the revolution are blocked for fear of igniting further local unrest. Omar Suleiman promises dialogue with opposition parties in order to push through constitutional reforms. |
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