Residents of Cairo have begun dismantling barricades on Tahrir Square after 18 days of protests.
Residents of Cairo have begun dismantling barricades on Tahrir Square after 18 days of protests.
Hosni Mubarak stepped down from his post of president on Friday, handing power over to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. This event was met with public celebration. Cairo residents decorated the city with tinsel and balloons.
Military authorities have pledged not to take the place of a legitimate civilian government.
Egypt’s new military rulers say they intend to guarantee free and fair elections and constitutional reforms.
Traffic returned on Sunday to Tahrir Square, which had been the center of opposition protests against Mubarak’s regime. The tent camp and the barricades are now being removed.
The 18 days of protests left the square littered with tons of garbage.
Not everyone has left the streets. Some protesters are urging the military council to fulfill their demands as soon as possible. Workers, bank employees, journalists, and even police officers filled the streets in Cairo and other Egyptian cities demanding higher salaries and better working conditions.
Surrounded by the Interior Ministry, the Headquarters of the Arab League, and the famous Egyptian Museum, Tahrir (Liberation) Square is Cairo’s largest and arguably most beautiful square. The square got its name after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.
Cairo residents are dismantling barricades and clearing garbage on Tahrir Square after 18 days of protests.
