Egypt’s Army Makes Way for the March of a Million

James Phillips / February 01, 2011

Cairo was flooded with protesters for the seventh day on Monday, as opposition leaders promised that Tuesday would see a “march of a million” aimed at toppling the besieged Mubarak regime.

Significantly, a spokesman for Egypt’s military noted that the army recognized “the legitimacy of the people’s demands” and promised that it “will not use force against the public.” This suggests that the army has adopted a more neutral stance in the current crisis.

Vice President Omar Suleiman, promoted last weekend by President Hosni Mubarak in an effort to calm the deteriorating situation, appeared on state-controlled television on Monday and promised to hold a dialogue with opposition leaders on political reform. But this offer appears to amount to too little too late. The opposition continues to insist that President Mubarak must step down. One opposition leader, Mohamed ElBaradei, warned the United States on Sunday that “life support to the dictator” must end. (more…)