Hundreds of thousands of people are anxiously gathered in Tahrir Square in central Cairo waiting to hear Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak give an address, that many expect will be his resignation. National television is covering the event, and has been repeatedly announcing that Mubarak will deliver his speech scheduled for 10 p.m. (3:30 p.m. EST) “shortly.”
Word is also circulating that his message will be pre-recorded and he has already left the country. The army has now closed off Tahrir Square in preparation for the announcement. Many protesters are speculating that it is to preventing chaos in the wake of Mubarak’s announcement.
A tweet from Sultan Al Qassemi, a columnist for The National and Emarat Alyoum who has been watching the situation closely said, “the army is managing the situation very carefully & won’t allow any surprises.”
The military told the tens of thousands gathered on Tahrir Square earlier today that “their demands will be med today,” reported national Egyptian TV.
Since the protests began on Jan. 25, the army has taken a neutral role not using any force and trying to maintain order. When violence broke out between pro-government and government on Feb. 2, the army also did not get involved except to help keep the groups of protesters safe. Because of the restraint shown by the army, anti-Mubarak protesters in general are supportive of the army.
One possibility is that the military might be preparing to stage a coup. If that’s the case, protesters have raised fears that they will impose martial law. Protesters are also saying the army wants to prevent chaos, which explains why they closed off the main entrances to Tahrir Square. Another tweet by Sultan Al Qassemi states that a previously statement by the Muslim Brotherhood saying they fear a military coup in the making was withdrawn.
Since this morning, national Channel 1 TV has done an about face on its coverage of the protests, from complete denial that the demonstrations were happening and unrelenting support for the regime, to covering the protests.
The Egyptian Military High Council held meetings today without its commander Mubarak, who was said, according to Al Arabiya, to “delegate all military affairs to the Defence Minister General Tantawi.”
As Egyptians are waiting for the announcement, President Obama sent out twitter messages of support.
“Americans will continue to do everything that we can to support an orderly & genuine transition to democracy,” Obama tweeted at approximately 3:30 p.m. (EST). Followed a few minutes later by another message.
“We are witnessing history unfold…the people of Egypt are calling for change… at the forefront…a new generation.”
Earlier this morning, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs sent a message from aboard Air Force One saying the White House is watching closely.
“But I think we’ve been clear in the many preceding days that what we have wanted to see and, most importantly, what the people of Egypt wanted to see was irreversible change. And we'll monitor throughout the day what’s happening there,” said Gibbs.
With reporting by Laila Hassan in Cairo.
