Egypt Marks 5 Years Since Start of Anti-Mubarak Uprising
Egyptian Army soldiers celebrate with children on their armored personnel carrier, as they celebrate the news of the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, Feb. 11, 2011
Monday marks the fifth anniversary of Egyptians launching protests against longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in a revolt that helped spark a wave of uprisings across the Middle East.
Over the course of nearly three weeks, Mubarak fought back with security forces cracking down on protesters, particularly in the capital, Cairo, but ultimately he stepped down after 30 years in power.
Current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi praised the 2011 revolution Sunday, saying it brought a "new Egypt."
Banned group
He accused others of using it for personal gains, in reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood that won elections to take over the government following Mubarak's ouster.
Sissi led a 2013 effort to push President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood member, from power after a year, then oversaw the creation of a new constitution and new elections that made him president.
Rights groups have sharply criticized Sissi's Egypt, saying it is reminiscent of life under the strongman Mubarak.
They cite a strong crackdown on democracy advocates and others who oppose Sissi, particularly the Brotherhood, which has seen Morsi and many other top leaders arrested and put on trial.
People detained
Authorities in recent days have detained people who planned protests for Monday.
A Brotherhood website urged Egyptians to gather in "liberty squares across Egypt" and chant for "freedom, social justice, human dignity."
The focal point for the 2011 uprising was Cairo's Tahrir Square, where dramatic television images sent across the world showed protesters gathering day and night to call for Mubarak's resignation.
They persisted through deadly assaults by security forces and eventually hundreds of thousands of people celebrated in the square when Mubarak stepped down.
Five-Year Anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution
1/15A protester carrying an Egyptian flag runs through clouds of tear gas at a demonstration in Cairo, Jan. 25, 2011.
2/15A man runs from a police water cannon in Cairo, Jan. 25, 2011.
3/15An Egyptian anti-government activist kisses a riot police officer following clashes in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011
4/15An anti-government protester is backdropped by a fire set up by protesters near the Tahrir Square Jan. 28, 2011.
5/15The crowd in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011.
6/15Pro-government demonstrators, bottom, watch as cars burn during clashes with anti-government demonstrators, top, in Tahrir square, Feb. 3, 2011.
7/15A protester chants during a demonstration in support of ousting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Feb. 5, 2011, in Seattle.
8/15An Egyptian anti-Mubarak protesters sleeps on the wheels of a tank at Tahrir square, Feb. 6, 2011.
9/15Egyptian anti-Mubarak protesters camp out next to Army tanks and armored vehicles near Tahrir square in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011.
10/15Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak begins to make a televised statement in this image taken from TV, Feb. 10, 2011.
11/15In this photo taken from Egyptian television, Egypt's vice president Omar Suleiman announces that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down from office, Feb. 11, 2011.
12/15Anti-government protesters and Egyptian Army soldiers on their vehicles make traditional Muslim Friday prayers in Tahrir Square, Feb. 11, 2011.
13/15Egyptians celebrate after President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military, Feb. 11, 2011.
14/15Egyptians in Tahrir square celebrate after President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military at Tahrir Square, Feb. 11, 2011.
15/15Egyptian Army soldiers celebrate with children on their armored personnel carrier, as they celebrate the news of the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, Feb. 11, 2011
