MILLIONS of Egyptians were celebrating in the streets of Cairo last night, after embattled president Hosni Mubarak elected to leave his controlling position. Mubarak hands over power with immediate effect to the military after 30 years as president of Egypt. This follows almost a month of ugly protests, violent clashes and stand-off from many protestors, supporters of the beleaguered Mubarak and riot police. During this, Cairo has been bought to a complete standstill. Following the upheaval of the Tunisian government last month, and talk of rebellious change in places such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to come, the world and Africa especially has to deal with its biggest upheaval of change since 1989.
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| DELIRIUM: Egyptians celebrate the departure of Hosni Mubarak |
Mubarak’s resignation was confirmed in a short speech on national television by the deputy leader Omar Suleiman, recently bought in by Mubarak to try and ease the crisis. The speech also confirmed the move into control of the country by the army. This came just 24 hours after Mubarak himself appeared on Egyptian television and announced that he was staying on until the elections in September, after there had been wide speculation that he would go straightaway. Worldwide, the news has been greeted with positively from world powers. Prime Minister David Cameron admitted that all he wants to see in Egypt is a ‘peaceful transition.’ Barack Obama, a stiff critic of Mubarak’s determination to hang onto power was delighted in a televised address he gave to his nation; “Egyptians have made it clear that nothing less than general democracy will carry the day. The military will now have to ensure a transition that is credible in the eyes of the Egyptian people.”
Egyptian flags, often burnt in frustration during the three weeks of demonstrations, were waving high last night by dancing Egyptians, scenes that haven’t been seen worldwide since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. This is momentous change for Egypt, especially as they have been governed by Mubarak for so long. The rest of the Arab world will have been watching with great interest and wonder, ‘could we do the same.’
Last month, the uprising in Tunisia, which surprised many onlookers, saw the collapse of the long-standing government. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has fled to Saudi Arabia, but unlike Egypt, it looks a very uncertain and insecure place at the moment. Yemen is on the brink of civil war and political unrest. Most of the government have already quit there, and their president has decided to step down in two years time after like Mubarak, more than three decades in power. The hunger for change in these countries is spreading. So much so, that the president of Syria, who has ruled for 40 years, has allowed the opening of social networking websites Twitter and Facebook. In these extremes, that is not the smartest move he ever thought of.
Back in Egypt, 82-year old Mubarak is believed by worldwide sources to have fled to the Red Sea, though his general whereabouts are unknown. It is believed that Obama’s refusal to back him has left him feeling betrayed and might have been the final catalyst in his downfall.
The people of Tunisia and Egypt have managed to bring down two long-term governments to their knees in two short months. Others may follow, and I’d expect that. 1989 saw Germany reunified, the Berlin Wall knocked down, Romania, Poland and Czechoslovakia overthrow their long-time dictators and the end of the Cold War. This ultimately spelt the demise of Mikhail Gorbachev and the demise of the old Soviet Union. If these recent events have anything to go by, there could be plenty more uprisings in the calendar year to come.
However bored some may have been with this story, no-one can deny the impact that Hosni Mubarak’s departure is going to have on the world. We must pay attention deeper than ever to this changing worldwide society.
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