Egypt Protests: Vice-President Sworn In

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been on the streets of Egypt for a fifth day as the country's leader, who refuses to quit, appointed a vice-president for the first time in his 30-year rule.

 

At least 62 people have been killed and around 2,000 others hurt in demonstrations across the country over the last two days, officials say.

His comments came as Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, 74, was sworn in as President Mubarak's deputy.

The move suggests a possible plan for his succession and also that Mr Mubarak's son Gamal, 47, who was rumored to be a potential leader, has been pushed out of the picture.

It may also indicate the leader will not stand again in the planned presidential elections in September, when officials had suggested he would run.

Analysts said Mr Suleiman's appointment was the first indication the president had realized the magnitude of the unrest that gripped his country, the most populous Arab state.

Mr Suleiman - a Mubarak confidante - has been involved in key policy areas, including the Middle East peace process, an issue vital to Egypt's relationship with the US, a major aid donor.

 

The country's aviation minister Ahmed Shafiq is the new prime minister in a shake-up of the president's administration.

But the US said it was not enough to simply "reshuffle the deck" and pressed Mr Mubrarak to implement the genuine reform which he has promised.

Late on Friday, the 82-year-old leader tried to appease the protesters by sacking his cabinet and vowing to implement social and political reforms.

Ministers formally submitted their resignations on Saturday but the move appeared to have little impact on the demonstrations.

Protesters mocked Mr Mubarak's move as an empty gesture, insisting only his resignation would be enough.

Demonstrators in Cairo's central Tahrir Square have continued their call for Mr Mubarak to quit now as they stayed on the streets and defied an extended curfew.

They were told to stay indoors from 4pm to 8am (local time) and were warned that if they were caught violating the order they would "be in danger".

Mr Mubarak sent in the military on Friday night in an effort to regain control.

While the army remains in position across the capital guarding government buildings, they did not appear to be moving against the crowds.

The military is seen as a national institution, while the police are generally feared as an instrument of repression.

There were local reports of a serious incident in which three people were shot dead by police when they tried to storm the interior ministry building.

Clashes also broke out between police and prisoners attempting to escape from a Cairo jail, a security source said.

None of the inmates managed to escape, but eight were killed and 123 were wounded in the unrest at Abu Zaabal prison, northeast of the capital, it was claimed.

Protesters have vowed to continue to gather in Cairo and other major cities such as Alexandria and Suez despite the deaths of dozens of people.

Meanwhile, Egyptians armed with guns, sticks, and blades have formed vigilante groups to defend their homes from looters.

It comes after police disappeared from the streets after the army was sent in to take over security in the capital.

Looters also broke into the Cairo museum housing the world's greatest collection of Pharaonic treasures.

They smashed several statues and damaged two mummies, as police battled protesters on the streets.

Soldiers were later seen patrolling the museum which houses tens of thousands of objects in its galleries and storerooms, including most of the King Tutankhamen collection.

Cairo and along the Nile has been a scene of devastation with the ruling party's headquarters set alight. Shops have been ransacked and there were burnt-out buildings.

The protests against the president have spread to ex-pat communities, with crowds gathering at the Egyptian embassy in central London.

A peaceful demonstration gathered outside the address in Mayfair to support those taking a stand in Cairo.

The widespread protests against Mr Mubarak's ailing 30-year regime have been inspired by a recent uprising in Tunisia that saw the president forced from office.

Protesters have rioted in Cairo, Suez and Alexandria - their clashes with police sending shock waves across the Middle East.

Just before midnight on Friday, Mr Mubarak, in his first public appearance since the protest began, appealed to the nation.

"It is not by setting fire and by attacking private and public property that we achieve the aspirations of Egypt and its sons," he said.

"They will be achieved through dialogue, awareness and effort."

p1  Protesters fleeing tear gas in Tahrir Square, Cairo

The leader claimed the protests were part of a bigger plot to "shake the stability and destroy legitimacy" of Egypt's political system.

"We aspire for more democracy, more effort to combat unemployment and poverty and combat corruption," he added.

US President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Mubarak immediately after his speech and urged him to take "concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people".

Mr Obama said: "I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters."

Mr Mubarak has been a close ally of Washington for decades and justifies his autocratic rule by citing the danger of Islamist militancy.

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